Shadows of Schala
by Kitt Chaos
Summary: Was Schala's disappearance untimely? Strange, haunting dreams suggest it was. Reviews are most welcome!
1. Default Chapter

Author's notes - 

First of all, please be aware that this story is filled with *SPOILERS!* Please do not read until you have finished the game, if spoilers upset you. Chrono Trigger is an awesome game, second only to Xenogears as my favorite game of all time. I recommend it highly to everyone who likes RPG games and/or time travel stories. 

I'm sure there's nothing unique about the basic question this story is based on, "What happened to Schala?" What I hope might be interesting is the roundabout way this story answers it, and the adventures the characters are subjected along the way. 

I prefer the game ending where Glenn appears to help Marle and Lucca rescue Crono, so I usually kill Magus and don't revive Crono when I play. This story however, would be one where Magus was slain and Crono revived. If you are a Magus fan, don't worry! Of course he's in this story! ^_^ 

In fact, everyone except for Ayla is here (sorry! She just doesn't work in this story!). Chrono Trigger gives you the option of renaming all the characters, an option I almost always use. So... 

Crono = Orion   
Marle = Ariel   
Lucca = Elora   
Frog = Alpha   
Ayla = Arvia   
Robo = Prime   
and   
Epoch = Ark 

...since I didn't want "Frog" and "Robo" to be lame names in my story! Magus, Schala and all other named characters retain the names the game gave them. 

Glenn (the human name for Frog) spoke in something of an archaic manner in the game. I've tried to duplicate that in my story. Please forgive what that does to the grammar! (My spell check program hates it!) 

**Shadows of Schala - Chapter One**

Schala's cell was sumptuously appointed, every physical comfort catered to. Even though she was surrounded by objects of rare and astounding beauty, she never forgot she was a prisoner, held against her will, by one who had become a Dark Lord. 

She shuddered and hugged herself against an involuntary chill when she thought of her inhuman guards. They knew better than to lay a hand upon her, for their Master's retribution would be terrible, but their very nature was alien, dark and evil. Even Lavos' evil had been born of an understandable instinct to survive; these creatures and their Dark Master thrived on evil, craving it and creating it for their own twisted pleasure. 

She sank into a chair from sheer weariness. Her strength was dimming, soon the Dark One would have all the secrets of her special power. Once he did he would be able to spill his evil back into Schala's world across its already troubled time-lines. 

Schala risked opening a tiny Time Gate, crafting it small enough to escape detection by one who was just learning the intricacies of Time. It was so small in fact that all she could send was her desperate plea, like a message in the bottle of Time, and hope to alert someone of the danger their world was in. 

She dared not open it large enough to even determine who or when was receiving her warning. From all she knew of Time from her studies with Gaspar, the Guru of Time, her plea should reach most strongly to one who had traveled across Time. 

Unable with so small a Gate to reach to the End of Time directly, she used the utmost of her skill to direct her plea to Magus, the mage her own time-lost brother had become. She hoped he understood her asking him to seek Gaspar's aid so that they could find and rescue her before her stubborn strength gave out and the Dark Master gained all her powers. Only they could save her and their world in all its times from... 

******** 

Glenn awoke shaking off the threads of dreams that tried vainly to tie him to sleep. He stretched, luxuriating in the feel of the sinews and muscles of his swordsman's body. He marveled anew at the recovery of his human form. Three years returned to normal had not diminished the horror of ten years awakening as a bipedal frog; a fate he would not wish on even Magus, the dark sorcerer who had so cursed him. 

Strange that he would think of Magus. He lay still for a moment and closed his eyes, quieting his mind to recapture the sense of his dreams. 

"Schala?" he murmured, "I wonder what became of her. She was so selfless giving all her strength to hie us to safety once Orion was slain..." His thoughts carried him back to the Magic Land of Zeal in the Dark Ages and the people he had met there. His mind slid through the ages and their distinct friends and enemies as easily as he had slid through time when he had helped defeat Lavos. 

"Poor Janus warped so early in his life by Lavos' power...and Cyrus, dear Cyrus, so foully murdered because Lavos embittered Magus. My ten years as a frog, long and painful as they were, I could forgive, but Cyrus' death, never! Oh, mine enemy, if not for that, if not for the twisting of thy very soul; the strength and goodness I saw shining in Schala could have been thine and Janus...no, Magus...we could have been friends." 

Glenn turned to gaze at the legendary sword, Masamune, where it hung on his wall. Deep regret thickened his voice as he continued, "Instead thou lie dead and buried by mine own hand, ironically interred in thine own time and I am restored in form and time to my place, but lonely...grieving the friend thou took from me and the friends that time washed back to their own shores..." 

"But what of thy noble lady-sister? What of Schala? Why doth she haunt my dreams?" 

He arose, garbed himself for the day, carefully arranged his cloak to conceal the Masamune and reported to Queen Leene. 

******** 

"Cyril? Cyril?" the queen addressed him later. 

He was on guard duty in her chambers, lost in thought as he gazed unseeingly upon a tapestry. The other servants and attendants looked askance at his inattention to the queen. 

Leene assessed his handsome profile, reached a decision and firmed her jaw. She dismissed her other attendants and guards with a soft word. 

After seating herself and clasping her hands in her lap she spoke again, "Cy...Alpha!" 

He wheeled about sharply, "Why doth thou address me in the name of the Hero? I am not a frog!" 

"No. Even though, when you were a frog, I trusted you, I admit I am happy with your more comely human form. Furthermore I know that you, Alpha, are also, Glenn," Leene spoke calmly and quietly. Glenn found himself drawing near to hear her soft words and her demeanor soothed his racing heart. Part of him admired her technique for calming people even as he recognized it: he'd seen her use it on the king countless times when the king's passionate nature would get the best of him. 

His astonishment was not erased by the calm that Leene imparted to him. He gaped at the gentle, perceptive queen. 

She smiled slightly at his expression as she explained, "I visited Cyrus' grave and saw the inscription on his tombstone. I heard the story of the Frog Hero who wielded the Masamune and comforted Cyrus' restless ghost. You carved 'Cyrus sleeps here avenged by his friend Glenn' on the headstone. Also my overly modest friend, even as my frog retainer your ease moving about the castle was uncanny from the start, as if you already knew its paths. Further, as endearing as your 'thees', 'thous' and 'thys' are; they are outmoded words and only you have used them these past ten years. Finally, though you try mightily to hide it, the discerning eye can spy the Masamune under your cloak." 

"Oh, don't look so stricken! I'm not upset at you!" Leene cried when she saw the forlorn look on Glenn's face, "I know you, and I know your charades are not meant to hurt anyone, rather they spare you hurt. I can only think your ruse as Alpha, who eventually became the Frog Hero, was some way of hiding your shame at Cyrus' death. That blame was never yours to take! Your current ruse as 'Cyril' is to avoid the adulation you would receive as the Hero. Am I right?" 

"Thou know'eth it, milady. But what am I to do? Cyrus' death cut me to my core and the change Magus wrought in me remind'eth me every day of dear Cyrus and how I let him down. In a way, 'Glenn' died that day as truly as Cyrus did," he paced toward the window and looked out over the forest surrounding the castle before crossing back to Leene's side, "I never thought any would trust me again as their companion in arms and yet, e'en though Elora did not want to at first, Orion did. 'Alpha' becameth not a badge of shame and regret but the name of the Frog Hero. I wast respected by honorable friends and I did not let them down. King Guardia and thou, my queen, were also most kind to the frog I was. I shall thank thee that kindness all my days." 

Glenn stood at his full height, opened his arms wide and threw back his head. His shoulder length hair flowed about his face as he lowered his gaze to search out the queen's eyes, "Now my true form restored to me closeth that chapter of my life as well." 

He paced by the queen again, turned, and paced back. Leene admired the unconscious grace and balance that Glenn displayed in every move he made. She remembered the frog he had been and realized this strange grace came from the years he had spent in that form. 

"Know'eth thou, there are some aspects of my frog self that I miss," Leene threw a startled glance Glenn's way, his thoughts so eerily paralleled her own, "the Leaping Slash and the Slurp Healing amongst them." 

A private smile crept onto Glenn's face as his queen regarded him. Leene recalled the time when Alpha had rescued her from Yakra. He had fought to save her with skills only an expert swordsman would use. Yet... 

"Leap Slash?" Leene queried. 

"Oh a...technique I wouldst use in battle. I could jump several times mine own height and slash down with my sword in a rather devastating attack. Not many creatures could survive it!" 

Leene considered his response and the slightly uncomfortable look on Glenn's face. 

"Slurp Healing?" she asked, unable to resist. 

"Oh, milady, it sound'eth so gross, but no one truly seem'eth to mind..." Glenn flushed. 

"Now I am really intrigued! Tell me!" Leene demanded. 

"Well, if someone sustain'eth an injury, I could flick my frog tongue at them, touch them with it and heal them of their wounds somewhat," Glenn studied one of the tapestries intently. 

"Startling at first, to be sure, but I think I would not have minded overmuch if it eased pain," Leene replied. 

"I remember Orion would call out in the middle of a fight 'Alpha, Slurp me!' I would, he'd fight on, and eventually victory wouldst be ours. Orion nameth that skill for me. I lost it when I became human again, so it is good that it is no longer needed." 

Leene heard the sadness under the light tone and realized for the first time how much Glenn had lost over the course of his life; Cyrus, his own humanity, his friends of past and future, the frog form he had come to terms with and even his own name. She wondered if his return to humanity made up for all he had given up. 

"There were benefits to being a frog," she observed quietly. 

"Aye, but I much prefer being a man and as a man I much prefer being anonymous." 

"Someday, Glenn, you are going to have to accept the honor due you, but I won't force you. So you wish to remain 'Cyril'?" the queen asked. 

"My liege-lady, 'twould comfort me if thou would call'eth me 'Glenn' when no other could hear. It would help me feel I'd not let Cyrus down too much," Glenn asked quietly. 

"Gladly, even though you are as stubborn in your unassuming way as is my beloved king. Cyrus' death was not your fault! However, I am happy things are finally working out for you." 

"I wonder, dear Leene, if they've work'eth out to their ultimate end. I've been haunted by thoughts of Schala lately..." Glenn mused. 

"Schala? Now that you know that I know you are, or were, Alpha; you can finally tell me what happened, not just the part I know." 

"As thou command'eth, my queen, but we should break for mid-meal and I've responsibilities to King Guardia this afternoon. Canst I relate to thee my tale on the morrow?" Glenn begged. 

"Of course, but be sure that you do or I shall be quite disappointed. Perhaps we can visit your, Alpha's, old home in the Cursed Woods from when you were a frog? I'd be interested in seeing it," Leene asked. 

"My lady, 'tis no place for thee. How doth thou know of it?" Glenn asked in amazement. 

"That sweet girl, Ariel, told me of it and how you had evidently spent years there in loneliness regretting Cyrus' death. I am glad those children were able to bring you back from that despair to us." 

"Indeed. What else did Ariel speak of that perhaps she ought not?" Glenn mused. 

"Glenn, she was concerned that you would return to brooding once the adventure was over. She knew that you had been my retainer and thought that I could find some way to help you. We know how much Cyrus meant to you and how deeply it hurt you when he was murdered. Ariel spoke, but all your friends felt the same, that you might spend your life regretting something you could not change and deny yourself the happiness you deserve. Keep your sadness, Glenn, that is a fitting and proper tribute to a great knight and a great friend, but do not live there. Now, you spoke of lunch?" 

"Aye, dear Leene, I did. Canst I escort my queen to her repast?" Glenn queried as he offered a crooked arm. Leene placed her hand on his arm, gathered her train on her other arm and glided through the chamber door as Glenn opened it, "Now what didst thou mean by saying that my mode of courtly speech is out-dated? Surely thou jest! Such High Language as I am wont to use is only to show my highest regard for thee and for thy husband, our king..." Glenn teased in mock displeasure as they passed down the hall. The two guards flanking Leene's door stared at him. 

Leene smiled serenely at them to show she was not upset and succumbed to a few low giggles. Glenn winked at them over Leene's head and continued down the hall. 

"Surely, just because some know'eth not the proper forms when addressing those of royal birth, doth not mean that those of us who do shouldst offer insult to thee and thy lord..." he continued in mock amazement as he opened the door to the staircase. The guards overheard and chuckled, somehow relaxing even as they snapped to attention. The heavy door blocked Glenn's bantering tones and Leene's bell-like laugh. 

"She favors him too much," the younger guard complained. 

"No. He is a more skilled swordsman than you in your youth, and I in my experience put together. He is also a friend of hers. Look at the queen's life. She is guarded against all harm, but also all fun. You and I can leave, go home to families, into town or the tavern. Her life is here and it is boring. Once, long ago, the queen's guards had a special duty she did not know of. Perhaps it is time to start that duty again," the older guard mused. 

"A special duty?" the young one asked. 

"Sir Cyrus and one other started it. Come to think of it...no, never mind that...one day, when the queen was feeling especially sad, they started to act up and be silly. I won't go into specifics, but suffice it to say they lightened her mood. For a very long time, until the war with Magus became so desperate, we of the queen's guard made it our duty to try to get the queen to laugh at least once a day. Perhaps...we should start that duty again." 

"Perhaps you are right, old man," the young guard acknowledged as he reset the butt of his spear, "Make her laugh, huh?" 

******** 

"You know, Cyril, this kingdom needs a Hero," King Guardia said conversationally a few hours later. He was walking the battlements with Glenn by his side reviewing Guardia's troops as the Knight Captain mustered them out, "A king's duties are state craft, law-making, fostering the land and the like. It's rather boring and not easy for the people to romanticize about. A Hero, on the other hand, fires their imagination, commands loyalty, adds a zest to their lives making some of the more routine things bearable. A True Hero brings out the best in people, they are kinder with each other and more apt to lend a hand if someone needs it because 'that's what so-and-so would do'. Cyrus was a True Hero. Alpha, frog though he may be, could be a True Hero. I find it strange that no one has seen or heard of Alpha since he and I parted ways at the castle gates," the king sent a piercing look at Glenn, "Don't you...Cyril?" 

King Guardia crossed to the battlement edge and watched his guards at work. They practiced crossbow, spear and sword, shooting targets, thrusting and setting spears and the intricacies of swordplay. 

"You are quite impressive even with practice swords," the king commented. 

"I thank thee, my liege," Glenn responded quietly. 

"May I see your sword? The one you hide under your cloak?" Guardia asked, fixing Glenn with an unreadable look. 

Swallowing hard, Glenn cleared the sword from his cloak and handed it hilt-first to the king. 

"The Masamune!" the king breathed as he took it. He admired the sheer beauty of the weapon as well as its heft and balance as he continued, "My father had me train with the guards when I was a lad. He wanted me to be tough; it was almost as if he knew somehow that my reign would be more troubled than his...an unintended result was that I no longer wanted to be just the king, I wanted to be out there, slaying evil, saving my people directly with my sword and skill. A king has a certain distance imposed by his kingship, a passivity that helps him be objective. Part of me rejoiced that Magus had advanced so close at Zenan Bridge. I could go out and do, not simply send others to do for me! Thank the Hero my folly did not hurt the people of this kingdom." 

"Sire, thy desire to save thy people is no folly, any who wouldst so label it are wrong. There is a certain romance about thy kingship, the king who would fight with his people, not hide in his castle as they wert o'errun. Guardia may'eth not require a Hero as much as thee think," Glenn offered. 

"You speak as Alpha did; you have his same quietness, you possess the Masamune. Are you he?" the king demanded. 

Glenn paced to the battlements himself. He looked down on the guards and the guards-in-training and the swordsman in him assessed their skills. He squinted a little to make out one face clearly and was not too surprised to recognized Tata among the new recruits. He turned his gaze back to the king who waited patiently for an answer. 

"Yes, I am he, restored to my normal form upon Magus' death. I beg thee, my liege..." Glenn began. 

"Not to reveal that you are Alpha the Hero?" the king smiled a sad, tight little grin, "Why is it you always want what the other has? To be a Hero...an unfulfilled, unfulfillable dream of mine. You want your peace, yet you are here where Leene or I could find you out..." the king wondered. 

"My skills art needed here. Thou and my lady Leene have both discovered me. I can only beg that thou allow'eth me to serve thee as I am now, not as a Hero who canst not mis-step and who is known everywhere he may have to go. Things are quiet now, my liege, but they may'eth not remain so. If I must take on another such as Magus, would it not be better if my skills wert not common knowledge and my approach not heralded by everyone? I desire to serve thee quietly doing whate'er needs doing, be it high, be it low," Glenn sank to his knees and grasped the King's hand which still held the Masamune, "Please, honor Cyrus, he who wast a True Hero and a true friend. If thou must, honor Alpha, the Frog Hero. Do not maketh of me a Hero to be celebrated 'cross the land, I wish to remain here as thy guard and the queen's, ensuring thy safety from all who would threaten thee," Glenn pleaded. 

"It took me years to get Cyrus to accept the mantle of 'Hero'. Something tells me you would prevail if I were to engage in a battle of wills with you. You win, Alpha. You may serve me as you see fit, probably better than if I directed you," the king grinned ruefully, "but I will have my way in one thing. Sunrise tomorrow meet me in the Cathedral," Guardia's steely grey eyes bored into Glenn's, "Do not fail to be there! This is the finest weapon I have ever had the pleasure of holding, however I can sense that it was made for you, as you were born for it." 

Guardia handed the Masamune to Glenn with a small smile of regret. Glenn stared at the king who had startled him with his sensitivity and felt a slight tug from the sword. 

"Do something nice for him," a tiny voice spoke in his mind. 

Glenn was surprised by the voice but knew it had to be from the Masamune. Keeping the sword out he walked away from the battlement and began some simple swordplay exercises. The child-like gleam in the king's eyes rewarded him. He began to work in more complicated moves and to increase the speed of the sword's arcs. Completely enthralled the king followed every move. Glenn paused the sword's motion, collected his will and performed a Nirvana Strike. Guardia's eyes widened as he imagined the three foes Glenn's move would have destroyed. Glenn wished he could show the king Leap Slash or some of the dual attacks Orion and he had worked out. Spire came easily to mind. Glenn slowed the arcs and oscillations of his sword and returned it in a swift, practiced motion to its scabbard. 

"Wow!" King Guardia breathed. 

"Majesty, doth thou come away from the edge!" Glenn appealed holding out his arm, "If thou were to slip...!" 

The king stepped calmly away from the battlement's edge and walked sedately toward the door. 

"Sunrise tomorrow, 'Cyril'," he called over his shoulder. Glenn shivered as he followed the king. 

"What doth my liege plan for me on the morrow? Canst it be worse than being found out twice in one day? Canst it be worse than the strange dreams I fear I shall have this night?" Glenn mused just under his breath. 

******** 

Later, in his room, Glenn unbuckled the sword sheath from his back and hung it on his wall in its spot. He drew the Masamune and ran his hand softly down its blade carefully avoiding the keen edge. 

"Thou surprised me by speaking in my mind today; though I know'eth not why I wast surprised, knowing who thou art. Masa and Mune, brothers, bound in a red knife of dreamstone, using the power of Lavos to become a sword, at the direction of the Guru of Life. Thou hath grown as I have, accepting my destiny to defeat Magus, avenging Cyrus and releasing his spirit and learning how to use the magic of my friends to increase thy attacks. Art thou showing more growth for me; changing yet again as I change?" 

******** 

Glenn woke well before dawn and made his way to a clearing overlooking the Cathedral. He wrapped his green cloak tighter about him, warding off the pre-dawn chill and watched the moon set. As dawn touched the sky with its first fingers of light he noted a party of five make their way to the Cathedral. He recognized the King and Queen, the Chancellor, the Knight Captain and the Cook. 

"The Cook? What doth thou plan, my lord?" he whispered. Briefly he considered fleeing but acknowledged the lawful geas laid upon him by the king to show up. 

As he entered the Cathedral the Cook and the Knight Captain finished lighting the tapers on the altar and returned to where the Queen and the Chancellor stood. King Guardia stood in front of the altar. 

"Thank you," the king noticed as Glenn came into the light, "Our principle has arrived. Approach us!" 

Glenn had no memory of the king ever having been quite so commanding or imperious. Not only was this was a king to respect and to admire, but also to watch carefully for there was a dangerous edge to him as well. He straightened his stance, threw his cloak over his shoulders and neared the altar. 

"Stop!" Glenn instantly froze, waiting for the next command, "Giveth over the Masamune!" 

Four jaws dropped open. The Chancellor, Cook and Knight Captain narrowed their eyes as they regarded Glenn and he simply gaped at the King. 

"Alpha?" the Knight Captain breathed in wonder. 

"Alpha!" Queen Leene confirmed, "Now, shh!" 

"High Ceremony requires High Language, Leene insisted," the king responded to Glenn's look, "Now hand it over!" 

Glenn did as he was commanded. The king took the hilt, walked back to the altar and lifted the Masamune up. It glowed in the candlelight. All eyes were upon the king, mesmerized as he became more than a man, more even than a king. For this moment it was as if he were the will of Guardia itself. 

"Guardia and her people have thrived for a long time and shall for years to come. Many have been her Heroes; noble in spirit, will and deed. The last Hero was my own knight, Cyrus," the king eyes lost focus and a tear formed in one corner. He gathered his thoughts and continued, "Many have been the weapons of these mighty Heroes who have defended Guardia; blades and bows, axes and spears of renown abilities." 

King Guardia lowered the sword and gazed at it with shining eyes, "This sword is the most famous, 'older than Guardia and yet younger than the newborn day'. None have ever matched its peerless power, none have equaled its legendary deeds. I am proud that its power serves Guardia in my lifetime, elated to have a chance to hold it and humbled by all it has done." 

"Matchless as the Masamune is, it is also the Hero who wields it who accomplishes great deeds. Not everyone is made to be a Hero. Sometimes the Hero's path is hard, full of pain and sorrow. I know not why Alpha was a frog at the time when we most needed a Hero's might, I can only imagine his Hero's path was stranger than most. He wielded the Masamune and defeated Magus during Guardia's darkest hour and further helped to save this planet from an even greater evil. It is fitting that a Legendary Blade have such a one as he as its Hero. Approach us, Alpha, and swear again your vow of fealty." 

Glenn felt he was in a dream he could not wake from as he knelt, took the king's free hand between his own and the ancient vow slipped readily from his lips. His heart was full of foreboding that the king was preparing one of his grand celebrations and Glenn, shy by nature, would from this day forward be thronged whenever he ventured outside the castle. 

"Now, the Queen's Vow," Guardia directed. Queen Leene walked to her husband's side. 

Glenn took her hands in his. Easier still these words flowed from his tongue, to guard and protect Leene, even above the King, for she was the true future of Guardia. 

"Only I know you are Glenn," the queen whispered in his ear after accepting his vow and raising him to his feet. Serenely she stood and took her place at the king's left hand. 

"You have vowed to serve, honor and protect Guardia, myself and the Queen. Now, kneel!" 

Glenn knelt and felt as he did so that the noose was tightening about his neck. "This is not the life I chooseth!" his heart cried within him, "Mine only desire was to be Cyrus' squire, I never willed him to die, for me to become a frog, or to become a Hero! Why canst I never be what I want to be?" 

He dropped his head, waiting for the light sword strokes that would knight him and shatter the shadow of a life that he had made from the ruins of his old one. They came. 

"By my will, before these witnesses, on this day I knight thee, Guardia's First Knight, peerless before all. Arise, Sir Alpha!" the king held up one hand to stay Glenn's obedience to his command, "But I am mindful of what you said to me yesterday upon the battlements, and also mindful of your will. Only those now here shall know of your Honor, to keep it to themselves until you release them or you are no more. I too am held to this promise. But I am the king and I shall have my will in one thing!" Again the light sword strokes of knighting fell to Glenn's shoulders, "Arise, Sir Cyril!" 

The king and queen helped Glenn to his feet. He was slightly dazed by the king's actions. Twice knighted? Twice named? 

"And now we celebrate the Kingdom of Guardia's newest knight. I have my way and you, Alpha, have yours. Work as you wish for Guardia's good as First Knight, work as I desire, Cyril, as a simple, ordinary knight. You'll be celebrated, loved by the people for...when's the next court knighting, Captain?" 

"The end of next week," the Knight Captain replied. 

"...Until the end of next week. What?!" the Masamune tugged from the king's hand to float above Glenn's head. It twirled lazily in the air, glowed very brightly and split into two nearly identical, slightly demonic appearing, beings. 

"We do seem to see many cool moments with this one, brother," Mune noted. 

"Yeah, well he is the Hero we were made for. Each time he grows as a Hero, we grow as a sword," Masa answered, "How about the king? That was a very clever way to Honor without ruining Alpha's life. The king has his knight and his celebration, Guardia has its First Knight and Alpha has the freedom he wants to live a...relatively...quiet life." 

"Relatively, Masa?" 

"Well, we're here. How quiet do you think it can stay, Mune? Especially now that we can sometimes speak to him in his thoughts?" 

The two, Masa and Mune, rushed one another, glowed and merged into the sword again. It floated down into Glenn's outstretched hand. 

"Wow! So the Masamune..." the Knight Captain began. 

"Is Masa and Mune, brothers fuseth magically into a sword. They seem'eth to enjoy it. They're right. Each time I gain in..." 

"Heroship," Leene supplied. 

Glenn bowed to the queen, "...they gain in power and skill as well." 

"Enough! You are Honored, Alpha, Cyril, whoever you are, and I have a kingdom to run," the king declared. 

"Just one thing confuseth me, my liege," Glenn began. 

"Just one? You're more on top of it than I!" the Chancellor interjected. 

"No offense, but why wast the Cook here?" Glenn asked. 

"Oh!" Leene smiled, "You know that if the Knight Captain knew, sooner or later his brother, the Cook, would too. We figured to invite him so he could see for himself for once. We have his promise, along with the Chancellor and Knight Captain, to keep your secret." 

"Sire! If you had sworn me to utmost secrecy I'd not have told even my brother..." the Knight Captain began. 

"Oh, that's not true! You've never been able to keep a secret from me!" the Cook retorted as he dashed out of the Cathedral. 

"Why you!" the Knight Captain yelled as he raced to the Cathedral door, "By your leave, majesties, Sir Chancellor, and Sir Knight," the Knight Captain bowed to each in turn, "I've got to box my brother's ears!" 

******** 

Glenn made his way later across Zenan Bridge, tossed a jaunty wave toward Prime, who only flashed his photoreceptors back (Prime was currently being a scarecrow to give Fiona's newly planted forest a break from the birds), and made his way to the Cursed Woods he had for too long called home. When he had been a frog the denizens of the woods had left him alone but now that he was human he threaded the path to his pad carefully to avoid upsetting them into attacking him. 

He had just stepped to the first rung of the ladder down to his place when he heard a commotion just out of sight. He drew the Masamune and raced to confront what he feared he would find. 

Leene watched in utter amazement as Glenn rushed the six monsters threatening her. The Masamune became a twinkling blur and three mutant tadpoles fell over dead. Glenn sidestepped one claw-handed attack, circled back bringing his sword up into a guard position and snapped a gust of wind from it at one of the standing tadpoles. 

Leene felt a searing pain strike her hand as a seventh unnoticed monster, some weird cross between frog and snake, bit her severely. As she screamed in surprise and pain the creature leaped to her shoulder and vaulted off of her right at Glenn's head. He snapped the Masamune up just in time to cleave the hideous creature mid-leap. He slashed across a gnawer behind him, ripping its torso open as he ducked another leaping attack. The two remaining monsters fell to another Nirvana Strike. Glenn pivoted, scanning the woods swiftly, sword held poised between guard and attack. Once he was sure no creatures remained he turned to his queen. 

Leene twisted her injured hand deeper in the folds of her skirt trying to hide her injury from this cool, deadly new Glenn. More than anything she wished she had not followed him; more than anything she wished to be far away from his level, unnerving and emotionless gaze. 

"I..I'm sorry, Glenn..." she whispered as she dropped her eyes to stare at the leaves and loam at her feet. 

She glanced up just in time to see the grim warrior visage fall away and her faithful retainer return to his face. 

"Oh, milady! Why didst thee follow me? Thou art injured!" he cried as he raced to her side. 

"It's only a scratch..." Leene began as she fell over in a dead faint. 

Glenn ignored her bitten hand as he caught her, he was far more concerned with the blood pouring alarmingly fast from her seriously wounded shoulder. 

******** 

Leene opened her eyes to see hard-packed earth riddled through with roots above her. Her head was cradled by a soft downy pillow and she was laying on a small wooden bed. On a rough-hewn table next to the bed bloody cloths and a basin of red-tinged water bore mute testimony to the dressing of her wounds. The stinging bite in her hand was overwhelmed by the searing agony in her shoulder. Wordlessly she cried out in fear and pain and sat up. 

The earthen room swooped and spun about her. Leene looked down at herself and gasped. The whole right side of her dress showed slickly red with blood. Even as she watched the white bandages on her shoulder slowly became red as blood seeped into them. 

"Shh, Queen Leene. Be still for one more moment and I shall heal thee," Glenn whispered as he gently yet firmly pushed her back down upon the pillow. 

Weakly she nodded her head, biting back the nausea rising in her throat. A change in the air made her look up. 

Glenn had backed up a few feet from the bed and thrown his arms out wide. Leene watched in wonder as Glenn levitated a few inches off the floor and gathered the light of the room to himself. He began to glow and blue light sparkled about his hands. The light coalesced and, under Glenn's direction, shot forth and suffused Leene. 

A feeling of comforting warmth and peace flowed through her, washing away her pain. She focused on Glenn who had closed his eyes in concentration to send as much of the healing energy to Leene as he could. Sweat stood out on his forehead and his whole frame trembled. 

Leene felt that incredible energy flow through her, seeking out the damage the monsters had done to her. The rents in her shoulder closed and, lowering her eyes, she watched as a blue glow knit together the bite wound in her hand. 

Unable to do any more, Glenn let his spell fall and stumbled to his knees from his tremendous effort. 

"My lady, thou art..." he whispered. 

"Completely healed," Leene reassured him as she rose from the bed and assisted him to his feet, "Although this gown is going to be hard to explain!" 

Glenn rummaged about in a chest and came up with a tunic and cloak, "These can serve 'til I return thee to the castle 'though they may be somewhat short. They were crafted for my frog form! I shall be above 'til thou call'eth out, milady," he said as he climbed up the ladder. 

Once above he retrieved the Masamune from the bush where he had hidden it and cleaned its edge carefully. After sheathing it he collected the monster carcasses and tossed them out of sight into the woods. When he returned from the last trip he heard Leene calling him. 

"I am here, my queen," he announced as he descended the ladder. 

He marveled upon seeing her that she could still look so regal even while garbed in a tunic and cloak that were too short by six or seven inches. 

"I shouldst return thee to the castle..." Glenn began. 

"Nonsense! You do what you came here for and after perhaps you can relate to me your adventures as you promised yesterday?" Leene insisted, "You made me think there might be something troubling you, something about Schala." 

"Yes Schala. Mine adventure began in the Cathedral. Thou had been kidnapped by Yakra and Ariel taken in thy place at the castle. I knew she wast not thee and that the search had been called off when she wast found. Orion and Elora had come searching for thee as well. A Naga-ette threaten'eth them and so I drop'eth in to rescue them..." Glenn began. 

Much later, "...and King Guardia and I return'eth here. The portal closeth behind us and the rest thou know'eth." 

"Not all. How did you regain your human form? What did you do between returning here and joining the castle guards a few months ago as 'Cyril'?" 

"My Queen, there are some things I will keep my counsel on and those art amongst them," Glenn replied quietly. 

"You are right, Glenn, forgive my curiosity," Leene rolled the papers in her lap into a scroll. At some point in Glenn's narrative she had asked for paper and pen and taken a record of his tale. 

"So you and your friends saved us from more than Magus. The king mentioned saving past and future, but I had no idea it took so much out of all of you. When Lavos killed Orion..." 

"I thought my heart wouldst break anew...but we were able to rescue him." 

"Dead is dead, usually. How?" Leene asked simply. 

"Lavos wast not of our planet and Orion wast not meant to perish in the Dark Ages. His demise at that point wast an aberration in the flow of time. We must need rescue him, not just for himself, but also to mend'eth the rifts in time that it causeth. Oh, my queen, sometimes I have nightmares of what could have happen'eth if we mis-stepped along the way...the Reptites could hath killed humanity's ancestors...Magus could hath succeeded in summoning Lavos to this time...but, Leene," Glenn threw himself to his knees and grasped her hand, "I fear we did mis-step, I fear the thread of time unravel'eth...I fear some peril Schala faces threaten'eth thee and Ariel and all of thy descendants, but I've no way...I don't know where to start..." 

"I'm touched by your concern as always, my knight, but your dilemma is not unsolvable. Start at the end," Leene stated calmly. 

"The end...oh, the End of Time. Aye, that doth make sense...but..." 

"How to get there? Leave that to me. Write a letter to Ariel and I shall see it delivered," Leene promised, "perhaps we should return to the castle now." 

"Let me escort thee back to the castle. Thou shouldst rest and the king shouldst know that thou hast been injured..." 

"...and healed. Thank you, Glenn." 

******** 

Ariel tossed in her sleep. The comfort of her royal bed, the tasteful decor of her tower room, her safety guaranteed by her royal knights; none of these saved her from the tempest of nightmares that assaulted her this night. 

"What?...Alpha, I can't hear you...find it?...What?...the Masamune...okay..." Ariel slipped into a deeper, dreamless sleep. 

Outside her chamber door her guards changed shifts; quietly trading places as alert, rested knights replaced those whom sleep courted with ever-increasing allure. Inside her room the moonlight slowly flowed across the floor. Ariel's soft, downy bed could not prevent her restless dreaming. 

"Oh, Alpha...it is you isn't it? What?...tapestry...frog...Schala?" 

Again the dream lost its powerful hold and Guardia's princess found deep, restful sleep. 

Ariel awoke, rubbed her eyes and sat up in her bed, "Such strange dreams! So shadowy and yet so real. Is Alpha trying to tell me something?" 

She arose prepared herself for the day and went into the town of Truce. Politely she knocked on the door of Orion's house. 

"Oh, hello, Ariel," Orion's mother greeted her, "I've just put breakfast on the table. Will you eat with us?" 

"Blueberry pancakes?" Ariel asked knowing blueberries were in season. 

"What else? Come," Orion's mother threw the door wide and embraced Ariel warmly as she encouraged her in. 

Ariel appreciated the warmth that the motherly hug brought even as she regretted that it was not her own mother who showed it. Ariel's mother had died when she was quite young and as yet her relationship with her father did not allow many hugs. Yet. 

She found Orion at the table, bright morning sunlight streaming through the window to make the highly appetizing pancakes even more appealing. Ariel's stomach growled. 

Orion laughed, "Good morning to you, too!" 

"Oh, stop it, I haven't eaten yet today!" 

"A fate worse than death, to miss breakfast!" Orion teased. 

"Only when it is your mother's cooking. Especially pancakes!" Ariel retorted. 

"Dig in, dear," Orion's mother commanded as she placed a plate stacked high with pancakes in front of the princess. 

"Oh, yum!" Ariel lavished syrup over the stack and fell to with gusto. 

"Princess, I'm so glad you can enjoy such simple pleasures. I don't believe there is a spoiled bone in your body," Orion's mother observed. 

"You know I prefer the nickname Orion gave me!" Ariel flashed, "We agreed that in this house I am not a princess!" 

"Do you see us bowing and curtseying? Calm down, Ariel. In other words, deal with it, 'princess'," Orion teased. 

"You...you..." 

"No fighting at the table," Orion's mother said serenely, "Seconds, anyone?" 

"No thank you, ma'am. Done, Orion? Let's go visit Elora! Oh, can I help you with the clean up?" Ariel asked belatedly. 

"No, dear," Orion's mom chuckled, "I've got it. Have fun on whatever adventures you find today!" 

******** 

"Okay, spill it, yer highness. What's got yer royal britches in a bunch?" Elora teased. 

Ariel stuck her tongue out at Elora while making a nasty face. Elora reached out to tug on her hair. 

"Girls!" Orion roared, "Must I separate you? Ariel, you apologize for being impolite and Elora you apologize for being...polite?" 

The girls giggled at Orion's confusion. 

Ariel settled herself on a tree stump as Orion scurried up a tree behind her to an obligingly low-hanging branch and Elora perched on a nearby stone wall. 

"Well last night I dreamed Alpha was trying to tell me something. I...thought it was Alpha anyway. I couldn't see him clearly and it sounded as if her were speaking to me over a great distance. He kept telling me to look for the Masamune and the frog; and that we had to find Schala before it was too late. I could feel that it was urgent...that it was important and that he was frightened. I don't remember anything else." 

"I hope nothing horrible happened to old froggy. I know he is dead by now to us in our time, but I hope he lived, lives a good, full life in his time. Time travel makes even my head spin!" Elora complained. 

"Is there any mention of Alpha in the Royal Records? Any clue as to why he might be trying to contact us now?" Orion asked sensibly. 

"No, I've looked. He's mentioned as the Frog Hero, Slayer of Magus and Rescuer of Queen Leene and Guardia, but no mention of him as part of the Realm after that. Queen Leene's favorite guard was named 'Cyril'. I figure he must be Cyrus' brother or something. It could be Alpha left Leene once the danger was past and returned to the Cursed Woods to live out his life quietly. It'd be just like him," Ariel mused. 

"How sad! He'd be lonely..." Elora noted. 

"Well, it seems he's trying to contact us now. Have you ever looked to see if the Masamune was in the treasure room? Surely that sword would have survived 400 years. Maybe Masa and Mune can tell us why Alpha is trying to reach us now, and what happened to him after the Gates were closed," Orion figured. 

"I'm not entirely sure that makes scientific sense..." Elora began. 

"But it's a magic sword! Besides, it's something to do. I hate feeling helpless!" Ariel urged, "C'mon!" 

Once at the castle they descended the steps to the basement treasury room. Elora promptly located the master inventory, Orion made for the weapon racks and Ariel drifted about just trying to feel what she was searching for. Orion carefully replaced the swords, lances and spears that he moved trying to see what was under them. 

"No mention of the Masamune or a sword of that description here," Elora sighed, adjusting her eyeglasses. 

"It's not stored with the weapons," Orion confirmed. 

"I'm not sure it's here at all, but look!" Ariel said pointing to a giant tapestry. 

"Great Guardia!" Elora breathed. 

The tapestry reached from the floor to the vaulted ceiling. Upon the green field the Masamune, hilt up, glowed in silver and gold thread. 

"How did we never notice that before?" Orion wondered. 

"It wasn't here before. Oh, I'm sure the people here know of it, but we were traveling hither and thither through time while such changes were occurring, so our memories are a little out of step with what reality ended up becoming. Kinda like how only we remember the Black Omen in the sky of our time, even though everyone mentioned it. When we destroyed Lavos, the Black Omen never rose in any sky but the Dark Ages," Elora explained. 

"I'm glad you understand it because I sure don't!" Ariel commented. 

"I only sort of understand it. It makes me realize how very fragile Time is," Elora admitted, "Well, now that we found the Masamune, or what we can of it, what do we do?" 

"While you two have been chatting, I've been looking about. Come back here," Orion commanded from behind some furniture. 

"He's gotten really bossy, hasn't he?" Ariel noted. 

"Yeah, but he has his uses. Let's see what he found," Elora responded as she climbed around a huge armoire. 

"Oh!" 

Ariel climbed right behind her and they saw Orion, a huge smile on his face, resting his elbow on the head of a life-size version of Alpha carved in marble. 

"Some clue!" Elora said. 

"I can't find any secret holes behind the tapestry or anything in Alpha's pockets. I figure Alpha may be trying to leave us a message the way Queen Leene did for Ariel in the Rainbow Shell," Orion stated. 

"I still have that letter. I keep it in my mother's jewelry box with Queen Leene's Coral Pin. The Pendant I'll always wear," Ariel said quietly. 

Elora circled the small statue, "Not exactly a pretty or heroic pose," she noted, "What do you suppose he's doing?" 

Orion looked at the statue of his friend again, "Why, that's his pose when he's about to Slurp someone. I'd recognize that with how often he had to Slurp me!" 

He walked up to Alpha's statue and looked more closely at the construction of the head. He reached out and opened the subtly hinged jaw. In the cleverly carved mouth of the statue, where Alpha's tongue would be, there was a scroll. 

"And Alpha speaks!" Ariel crowed, "Okay, but someone had to say it!" she said to the sour looks Orion and Elora cast her way. 

Orion unrolled the scroll, read the heading and handed it to Ariel, "It's addressed to you." 'Dear Ariel, 

Not a day goes by that I do not think of and miss thee, Elora, Orion, Prime and Arvia. Thou art as precious to me as are my memories of Cyrus and mine own Queen Leene. 

Lately I hath had forebodings regarding'eth Schala. We ne'er did ascertain her fate after the Ocean Palace disaster. For her own self I wouldst help her to the limits of my strength, for she was most good and fair of deed. But I am also mindful that she is thine ancestor and her fate couldst affect thee, thy line, and also my beloved Queen Leene. 

I crave a favor from thee, my princess. Please, use the Wings of Time to aid me in finding Gaspar and asking him to read this tangle of time lines. Mine heart is sore affrighted within me and I wouldst do anything to safeguard Schala, Queen Leene, thee and thy descendants. 

There is a lone tree that o'erlooks the water in a clearing near where Orion's house will be. He must know of it. Please, bring Ark and look for me there. 

I remain, faithfully yours, 

Alpha' "Wow, even his letters sound like him with all the 'thees' and 'thous'," Elora noted. 

"Elora, what state is the Wings of Time in?" Orion asked after a moment of thought. 

"As usual Ark is ready to fly or time trip, but we have to be careful. We can't risk changing something," Elora cautioned. 

"Alpha's note is pretty clear. He's concerned and he knows about Ark and time travel. If we get him and go directly to Gaspar at the End of Time, there's no way we would hurt anything..." Ariel said. 

Elora paced a little, "Well, no...and I don't want to let old froggy down. It would be super to see him again, but we can't just rip through time to visit friends." 

"We aren't. Alpha feels there's some trouble in the time stream. I feel kinda edgy too. This isn't a simple visit. If we changed something that shouldn't have been changed, it's our responsibility to set it right again. Elora, go home, get your gear. We'll meet you there," Orion decided. 

Ariel raced to her room and retrieved her adventuring gear. She donned her Prism Dress, grasped her crossbow Valkyre, took up her backpack full of various tonics, ethers and other such stuff and met Orion in front of the castle. They stashed her bow and gear in a tree near Orion's house. They went up to Orion's room where a Clone of him stood in a corner holding Orion's best adventuring gear. Orion unbuckled the sword belt and handed it to Ariel. 

"How creepy! Why do you keep it here?" Ariel asked. 

"Oh, I got it to remind me of all you guys did to save me," Orion admitted. 

"Well that's a little less weird, but doesn't it bother you at night? Sleeping with it staring at you?" 

"No...it's kinda like you, Elora, Alpha, Prime and Arvia are watching over me, protecting me. It's actually comforting. I mean, you guys broke time and space to bring me back...well prevent me dying. I couldn't ask for better friends. The Clone reminds me of that," Orion told her. 

"Seen that way it's not too creepy," Ariel teased. 

"Anyway that's one reason why we have to see what Alpha needs. He wouldn't reach across 400 years just because he's lonely. There is a reason. He's our friend and he's asking our help. It's a no-brainer really," Orion offered. 

"Lead on! To Elora's house we go!" Ariel sang out. 

From Elora's they used the Magic Waterspout to Heckran's cave and from there walked to Melchior's hut. 

"What brings you over today?" Melchior asked. 

They told the Guru of Life all they knew and showed him Alpha's letter. 

"I've felt no ripples in Time, but my specialty is Life, so perhaps I wouldn't. I know my memories are mixed, sometimes I remember the Black Omen hanging over my hut, but other times it is as if it never existed," Melchior said, "If you are cautious, collect Alpha and go immediately to Gaspar at the End of Time, I can see no harm. Do not let anyone see you! Keep Ark low to the ground and away from where you know people are," Melchior further cautioned. 

"We will, Melchior. Thanks!" Orion promised as he lifted off. 

"Is it just me or does Ark seem happy to see us?" Ariel asked. 

"Gaspar did say that Ark had a mind and soul of its own. It did follow us when Orion was...lost," Elora remembered. 

"Now the tree Alpha mentioned should be over here," Orion muttered as he carefully piloted the ship just above the trees to a spot near his house. 

Orion set the compass and Ark sailed through time to come to rest in the same place in the Middle Ages. 

Glenn watched as the Wings of Time materialized just above the treetops, the chrono-distortion sending a ripple through the air that quickly vanished. He approved of the way the Ark landed swiftly to minimize its impact in this time. He gathered his gear and strode through the forest to where the time ship landed. 

Ariel was on the ground scanning the woods on the other side and Orion was helping Elora down. Seeing his friends again caused a lump to rise in Glenn's throat. 

Orion turned from assisting Elora and caught sight of Glenn. 

"Oh, no! We're in the wrong place! Board again, quickly!" Orion said in dismay as he advanced rapidly toward Glenn. The girls jumped to obey his order. 

"Good sir, we are so sorry to have caused trouble for you..." he began. 

"Thou idiot. It's me, Alpha, er, Glenn," Glenn said with a lopsided smile. 

Orion's eyes widened as he stared at Glenn's human form. He staggered back a step, tripped and sat down hard on the ground. Elora and Ariel reversed and descended to the ground again. Glenn reached a strong arm down to assist Orion back to his feet. Once he was upright again Orion noticed that he had to look up into his friend's laughing green eyes. He had always been taller than Alpha. 

"What happened?" he asked in a daze as a delighted smile crept over his face. 

"What are you doing, Orion? Where's froggy?" Elora demanded as Ariel and she walked up. 

"Here, right here. Alpha...Glenn has somehow been restored to his natural form!" Orion grinned. 

"Ooh, you handsome guy! You never told us you were a total hunk!" Elora chided. 

"You are utterly gorgeous," Ariel added quietly. 

"So, Glenn," Orion turned from watching the girls swallow their amazement, "Just how did you return to human form?" 

"After Lavos' defeat, after King Guardia and I return'eth here from the Gate in Leene Square," Glenn began as he swept his hair out of his face with a graceful gesture, "I begged his leave and traversed about trying to come to terms with all our travels hath accomplished. I visited some of the people who hath assisted us, Tata's going to be a fine guardsman, by the way, and tried to decide what I shouldst do with the rest of my life. I return'eth to my pad," everyone groaned and Glenn smiled broadly at his own pun, "which show'eth me that I couldst ne'er again be content with only that solitary existence. Setting Cyrus to rest and saving Orion hath lifted much of the sorrow from my soul." 

"I know it may'eth sound silly, but I visited Cyrus' tomb and talked to him. No, he didst not show up and answer me but I felt as if he wert endeavoring to tell me something. Finally, after more traveling, I felt strong enough to go to where it happened; where Cyrus wast slain and I transformed. When I went to the waterfall I first woke as a frog under, I felt...strange. As I stood under the cascade of water, I couldst feel magic gathering about me. It enter'eth into me and I changed; not back into the gangly youth I hath been, but well...this. The man I wouldst have been hath I ne'er been made into a frog. Magus claim'eth his death wouldst break my curse, perhaps I had to go back to where it happen'eth to let the reversal take place." 

"Hmph! I think it was my kiss!" Ariel said, remembering the surprise Alpha had shown when she kissed him before he left Leene Square. 

"Well, then ne'er kiss me again, fair damsel, for I desire not a return to being a frog!" Glenn laughed as he gently teased her. 

"We'd better make sure," Ariel teased in return. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Glenn's cheek, "See? No change!" 

"Oh, I don't know..." Elora said. She too kissed Glenn's cheek, "I think he's blushing! That's a significant physiological change!" 

Orion snorted, "Are you two quite finished?" he demanded, glaring at the two girls. Ariel looked into Orion's eyes, giggled, nodded and turned away. Elora cupped her chin, regarded the humoring expression on Glenn's face, gently kissed his other cheek and said, "For now." Glenn laughed at Orion's consternation. 

"Seriously, what's the trouble?" Orion asked. 

"My dreams hath been troubled of late and a sense of dark foreboding fills the quiet part of my days. I fear Schala, and through her, Leene, thou, Ariel, and the entire future of the Guardia line is in danger. Also, a few days a-gone the Masamune gaineth in power again when I wast knighted," Glenn responded turning a troubled gaze upon the princess. 

"You were knighted? Way to go, froggy!" Elora cheered. 

"Twice knighted actually. Once as Alpha and then again as 'Cyril'," Glenn admitted. 

"Cyril?" Ariel asked. 

"The name I took when I wast transformed back. 'Alpha' is a great Hero an' I hath no desire to be treated...well, famous. 'Glenn', in a way, is dead since I canst ne'er return to who I was and, well, 'Cyril' is close enough to 'Cyrus' for me to honor him. I think of him as I honor my vow to watch o'er Queen Leene," Glenn explained. 

"Of course! Sir Cyril! There's mention of him all through the castle records...I assumed it was Cyrus' brother. Now it makes sense!" Ariel said, "We were concerned, we scanned the royal archives and could find no exploits of Alpha's. We thought you had gone back to the Cursed Woods, we'd no idea you'd returned to human. Oh, the adventures you...Oh! I better not say anymore!" Ariel looked at Glenn with stars in her eyes. Glenn wondered just what adventures were in store for him and whether the reality would match up with the history Ariel had read. 

"You said the Masamune powered up again?" Orion prompted Glenn quickly. 

Glenn hid his smile at his friend's slight jealousy as he responded, "They canst now speak to me in my mind. 'Tis rather disconcerting. But it seems every time my sword gain'eth in power we are called upon to do more. I think the Masamune's gain in ability is connected to the peril I fear Schala may be in. I ask'eth of thee to convey me to the End of Time. I must needs converse with Gaspar, the Guru of Time, regarding these strange forebodings for I canst not see them clearly or be certain I am reading them aright. I am glad to see all of thee again, e'en though we may'eth be once again called into danger; I couldst ask for no better friends to be by my side. Now, let us board and be off," Glenn urged. 

Orion reached for Glenn's pack and went around the back of Ark to stow it. Glenn bowed slightly to Ariel as he offered, "Wouldst thou care for mine assistance, my princess?" 

Ariel giggled as she accepted Glenn's help up to Ark's seats. After he seated her he leaped lightly to the ground again. 

"And thou, my Wonder Worker?" Glenn asked Elora as he landed next to her. 

"Wonder Worker?" Ariel teased as Glenn settled Elora into the seat next to her. 

"I notice you let him call you 'princess'," Elora replied archly as Glenn leaped down. 

"Yeah, well, he has such dreamy green eyes. I'm sure it'll get just as tedious as when you and Orion say it soon enough. More's the pity. 'My princess.' My ancestress had all the luck," Ariel mused. The two girls were still giggling when Orion vaulted into the driver's seat. Glenn followed directly after, turning a somersault in the air before landing lightly on the wing next to Orion. Orion gaped at him. 

Glenn smiled gently, "I have a few, very slight, abilities from my ten years as a frog. I am an expert tumbler, not quite enough for me to have retain'eth Leap Slash, and I am afraid I can no longer work with thee to perform Spire. Is there enough room for me to sit next to thee? With four of us traveling the time stream together, the ride should prove rather bumpy." 

Orion shifted and they found there was indeed enough room. He set the time compass and sang out, "Next stop, the End of Time!" 

The white ship lifted gently into the air, rose to just above the tree tops and silently slipped into the time stream. Just as Glenn had predicted the ride was more exciting than usual. 

---------------------- 

Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get! 

stargarde@stargarde.com 

Chapter Two coming soon! ^_^ 


	2. Chapter Two

Author's notes - 

Just a quick one, acknowledging my brother's collaboration writing this chapter. Thanks, Tony! ^_~ 

**Shadows of Schala - Chapter Two**

The timeship drifted slowly as Orion eased it into its berth. He leaped out and turned to offer a hand to Ariel, who bounded past him, her golden hair flying. Elora giggled at the hurt puppy expression on his face as she too, disembarked without assistance. 

"You're welcome!" Orion muttered under his breath. 

"Worry not," Glenn advised, "I'm sure she appreciat'eth the gesture. She simply know'eth not how to tell thee." 

"Yeah, you're probably right," Orion responded, a devilish grin washing over his face, "But I can think of other appropriate gestures..." 

"Of that, my friend, I doubt'eth not," Glenn laughed as he clapped Orion on the back. 

"What are you boys whispering about back there?" Ariel called over her shoulder. 

"Nothing!" Glenn managed to croak out before he succumbed to laughter. 

They walked down a corridor, leading to a now-familiar lamp post, located in the center of the odd brick structure they knew as the "End of Time". An old man leaned on a cane next to the lamp post and dozed on, oblivious to the arrival of his visitors. 

"Wake up, Gaspar," Orion said as he shook the old man's shoulder, "We might have a problem." 

The old man, Gaspar, jumped slightly as he came to full awareness. He was dressed in an impeccable suit and a bowler hat rested lightly on his head. He pulled out a pocket watch, flipped it open, consulted the time, closed it with a snap and smiled benignly at them. 

"Somehow," he began, "I expected to see you. You've actually arrived sooner than I thought. It's not nice to throw off the timetables of the Guru of Time." 

"What are you talking about?" Ariel asked, "How did you know we were coming?" 

Just them a heavy footfall sounded from beyond the corridor on the other side of Gaspar's post. The corridor's gate swung open and a metal boot stepped through the opening, heralding the arrival of another old friend. An imposing, massive, gleaming gold robot came through the door, closing it softly behind him. 

"Prime!" Elora exclaimed as she rushed to greet her favorite out-time friend. She liked Alpha or Glenn, and Arvia, the girl from Prehistoric times well enough, but Prime was her special friend. Many were the times she had to repair him and she poured all of her mechanical skills into "healing" him unstintingly. Prime had begun to develop emotions and his first was an affection for Elora. 

Prime caught Elora as she jumped the last few feet to him and swung her about. They circled three times before Elora put her hands on his arms and begged him to stop. 

"I'm getting dizzy!" Elora laughed, "But what are you doing here?" 

"Hello, Elora," Prime said as he set her on her feet and hugged her carefully with only a fraction of his great strength, "All of you?" he bowed to Orion and Ariel in turn as a greeting, "But who is...wait. I know you," he continued as his photoelectric gaze fell on Glenn, "Several people would wave to me as I tended Fiona's Forest, but it always seemed to be...more meaningful to you. Who are you?" 

"'Tis me," Glenn replied with a courtly bow, "Alpha. The curse Magus placeth on me hath been broken." 

"It does my processors good to hear that, Alpha," Prime said. 

"Please," Glenn asked, "My days as 'Alpha' art behind me. Thou may'eth call me by mine own name, 'Glenn'." 

"Very well," Prime acquiesced with a flash of his photoreceptors, "'Alpha' has been purged: you are now 'Glenn'." 

"'Alpha has been purged'," Ariel repeated, "Why does that sound bad?" 

"Just updating my memory codes," Prime responded, "Nothing to worry about. Tell me, how did you get here? I did not think you had contacted Melchior yet, Mr. Gaspar," Prime looked toward the Guru. 

"It wasn't my doing," Gaspar said, "They showed up on their own." 

"We used Ark," Orion explained, "Glenn contacted us..." 

"Pardon me, Orion," Glenn interrupted, "About that, I fear'eth we may have a problem, one that span'eth thousands of years of Time. Of late, I hath had particularly compelling dreams, revolving around Magus' sister, Schala. I know'eth not what to make of them." 

"Well, ever since I received a message from Balthasar that Prime noticed an anomaly, I've been scanning the time-stream. The overall fabric of Time has been unraveling, all leading back to a single event. That event is the rising of the Black Omen," Gaspar paused to let the significance of that last revelation sink in, "I've searched the length of Time and made a discovery. Ariel," Gaspar turned to address the princess, "Schala is your direct ancestress. Your line is starting to disappear from Time, starting from the Future, where Doan has vanished and reaching back to when Schala disappeared following the Ocean Palace disaster. The one that created the Black Omen." 

"Wait a second," Orion interrupted, "You're telling us that Ariel is going to...to disappear because we destroyed the Black Omen and defeated Lavos? And there is nothing we can do?" 

"Actually, there is one thing," Gaspar noted mildly. 

"WHAT?!" five voices demanded in unison. 

"Rescue Schala," The Guru of Time stated simply, adjusting his hat, "All you need to do is prevent her from vanishing when the Black Omen rises." 

"But how?" Elora asked, "We destroyed it!" 

"Duh, Elora. I thought you were the brains," Orion scoffed, "We have a time ship and we're close personal friends with the legendary Guru of Time!" 

"It's not quite that easy, I'm afraid," Gaspar warned, "My visions regarding Schala have been shrouded in darkness." 

"My dreams, too, hath been vague," Glenn said, "and rather...enigmatic." 

"Yeah," Ariel agreed, "Those odd dreams that made me think of Alpha were that way, too." 

"What be the thread that connect'eth us?" Glenn asked. 

No one had an answer at first. Elora glancing from Gaspar to Glenn and then to Ariel, found her attention drawn to Ariel's pendant. It glowed softly as Schala's did. 

"Could it be...Schala herself?" Elora ventured. 

After a pause Orion spoke out, "No. I can see why Schala might try to reach Gaspar, since he lived in the same time, or even Ariel since she's descended from Schala, but what is Glenn's connection to her?" 

Softly Glenn said, "I hath somewhat recently been...touched by the magic of Schala's brother. My dreams didst not begin 'til Magus' curse had been broken." 

"Yes, but we've all been touched by Magus' magic..." 

"Glenn was changed completely by that magic, down to the cellular level," Prime observed, "Unless you have been keeping something from me, no one else has been turned into another species." 

"Glenn," Mune spoke in Glenn's mind, "You also carry us. We are another strong connection to Magus. We are from his time, we are specially enchanted to weaken him and we enabled Hero and weapon to slay him." 

Glenn pondered that for a moment, then added, "I carry the brothers Masa and Mune. They art from Schala's time, they art enchanted to weaken Magus. I useth that enchantment to slay her brother. Perhaps these connections...attracted Schala's attention?" 

Elora shook her head, saying, "It's possible Schala's not trying to reach you, any of you. I think she might be trying to reach her brother." 

"If that's the case, why would anyone but Magus get her message?" Orion argued. 

"For the very reasons we've just stated." Gaspar said, "We three have the strongest connections to both Schala and Janus." 

"Too bad Janus, uh, Magus, is dead," Orion spoke into the following silence, "otherwise, we could just ask him." 

"Perhaps...you still can," the Guru noted. 

"What?" Orion derided, "You have a way to bring the dead back...to...life," he trailed off. 

The Guru reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a simple egg, "Actually, yes! You would know that better than anyone!" he smiled at the young man. 

"But we haveth not a copy of Magus," Glenn said, "need'eth we not one for the Chrono Trigger to work?" 

"I will contact Melchior and have him convey our need to the magician Norstein Bekkler," Gaspar decided, "But it will take some time and I need to make sure that Janus' death was not a necessary step in the defeat of Lavos. Since the time stream is...clouded it will take me longer than usual. Rather than stand out here twiddling your thumbs, why not pay Spekkio a visit? It's been awhile since he's had company and he does get cranky." 

"A cranky god of war? Wonderful!" Orion muttered. Gaspar chuckled and waved them off. 

"Very well," Glenn said striding to and opening the door. He bowed Elora through with a tasteful flourish of his cloak, "Milady." 

Elora blushed as she entered the room followed by Glenn and Prime. Ariel reached to catch the door, but Orion beat her to it, gallantly holding the door open for her. 

"Humph!" Ariel humphed as she passed Orion tossing her chin in the air. Stung he let the door close after her. 

"What am I doing wrong?" he beseeched Gaspar, "Glenn does stuff like that and it's charming." 

"Yes, well, that is Glenn," Gaspar replied a small smile creeping across his features, "Believe me, young hero, I have spent much time here and unraveled many mysteries, and have yet to figure out women. Don't worry though," he patted Orion's shoulder, "Your future looks to be bright enough that I'd hang on to the Sun Shades that Taban made if I were you." 

He smiled at Orion's confusion and shooed him, "Now get out of here! Your friends are waiting and I need to concentrate on my work." 

Orion shook his head, tossed a last look over his shoulder at the mysterious old man, opened the door to Spekkio's pocket dimension and stepped through. Gaspar smiled warmly as he began the somewhat difficult task of contacting Melchior. 

******** 

Orion stepped through the door, a puzzled look furrowing his brow. The first thing he noticed was a Nu. Nus are curious creatures, standing about two meters tall and two meters wide. They appear to be all face with arms and legs attached oddly, almost as an afterthought. They spend most of their time sleeping and appear at all times to be utterly harmless. They don't speak much, and what they do say is rather cryptic, and no one has ever seen them eat. If one was observant enough, one could find a Nu in every time period. It is almost as if they are monitoring the advancement of the human race. True to form, this one was sleeping and Orion's friends were standing about it afraid to wake it. 

"What's going on?" Orion asked, "Where's Spekkio?" 

"SHHHHH!" his friends admonished him, all at once. 

"We are afeared to disturb'eth its slumber," Glenn explained quietly, "We know'eth not what it shall do." 

"Oh, for crying out loud! It's a Nu!" Orion exclaimed, striding over to the bright red creature, "HEY! WAKEY, WAKEY!" 

The Nu jumped, startled at the sudden noise. Everyone else jumped, reaching for their weapons. 

"Sorry, I just dozed off for a few millenia...Oh, hey," it said, "Punk-head! And you brought everybody!" 

Doubly shocked by the Nu's abundant use of language and it's obvious recognition of the party, Orion asked, "Spekkio? Is that you?" 

Spekkio looked radically different from the last time Orion had seen him. He changed in appearance the more skilled the group became with magic and the last time Orion had seen him, he looked like...well like a demon. Now, he looked like a Nu. Orion wasn't sure if this counted as an improvement or not. Spekkio was certainly friendlier looking, but it must be hard to gain respect as the self-proclaimed "god of war", when you slept most of the day. 

"In the psuedo-flesh," the Nu said, "Are you looking for some practice?" 

"Actually," Ariel supplied, "Gaspar told us to come see you because you haven't had many visitors for a while. Some practice wouldn't hurt either." 

"Hmmm," Spekkio regarded them, "Wait just a sec, okay?" 

Spekkio glowed a bright white. The room filled with intense light. The light shrank back to the center of the room and coalesced into a rough Nu shape. Abruptly, it split in two and faded. Two Nus now stood where before there had been only one. 

The Nu on the right spoke up, "I need a little help, since there are so many of you. Meet my alter ego, Nu." 

"I'm not the alter ego," the left side Nu argued, "YOU are MY alter ego." 

"That is not true," Nu-right said, "I am Spekkio!" 

"Uh-uh," Nu-left retorted, "I am the god of war!" 

"It does not matter," Prime interrupted, "You are both duplicates of the same being. Neither of you is more or less Spekkio than the other...other...other..." Prime's head began to spin like an out of control top as he kept repeating his last word. 

Elora walked over, opened a panel on his back, hit a few buttons and scowled. 

"What ail'eth our clockwork ally?" Glenn asked. 

"His diagnostic readout says his logic chip has overloaded. Undoubtedly caused by two Nu-Spekkios arguing with each other," she cast a severely reproachful glance their way (each one pointed to the other), "I was working on an illogic chip to give him if I ever saw him again, but I left it at home." 

She thought for a moment, scratched her head and pulled a tool from her belt. She walked around the robot, frowning as he continued to say "...other..." oblivious to the world. When she stood behind him, she wound her arm back, watched the timing of the oscillations and hit him sharply square in the back of the head with a mallet. His head stopped spinning and he finally ceased repeating himself. 

"Thank you, Elora," Prime said, "I needed that," In a much softer tone he added, "I think!" 

"Are you done playing with your toys?" Nu-right said. 

"Yeah, we're getting bored," Nu-left agreed. 

"Yes Spekkio," Elora replied as she hung her hammer back on her belt, "I'm through." 

"Good," the two Nus said in unison, "Then we can begin." 

With that, the two Nus began a cooperative spell know as Antipode, a combination of fire and ice, and the magical combat began. 

******** 

Gaspar turned to look as the door to Spekkio's lair opened. He grinned as he saw Glenn's and Orion's clothes smoking, Ariel's hair severely, for lack of a better word, frizzed, and the robot dripping wet. Elora seemed untouched by magic as she toweled off Prime. 

"Did you win?" Gaspar asked, unable to resist. 

"Yeah," Orion replied with a twisted half-smile as he tried vainly to restore the 'punk' style to his hair, "We won an all expense paid trip for four to 'Spell Town', courtesy of the Nu express. 'Spell Town' has severe and rather unusual weather patterns. It rains fire, lightning and ice all the time. Elora got to see a black hole real close, otherwise it would have been a trip for five. Elora was the lucky one!" 

Orion grinned his wide, sunny smile, "Good ol' Spekkio!" 

Gaspar chuckled, "Well, do not worry overmuch about it. I found out some interesting news." 

"Please," Glenn asked politely, "Share it with us." 

"First things first," Gaspar responded, bringing his arm around in a gesture that included all of them. Their hair, clothes and armor returned to what passed for normal as he muttered, "Spekkio should have done this. He must have fallen asleep, irresponsible Nu." 

"Now then," Gaspar continued retrieving his cane from the side of the lamp post, "The time stream is still...twisted, not irreparably so, but you must move fast. I can't be sure, but I think Doan's grandparents have disappeared, so the 'Chronal Eraser' is working its way back through Time. We need to decipher Schala's messages and we need Janus to do it. He can be restored, without altering the feats you have already accomplished, but there will be a price," Gaspar paused and looked at Glenn. Glenn regarded the Guru, a question forming on his lips. 

"I fear, my friend," Gaspar said slowly, "That if you use the Chrono Trigger to restore Janus, it will also restore your curse." 

"What mean'eth thou," Glenn demanded, "I hath broken the curse by slaying Magus!" Glenn blinked as the truth occurred to him, "Oh. I see'eth." 

"I don't" Ariel stated flatly, "Why would Glenn turn into a frog again?" 

"It is an unfortunate, but unavoidable side effect. When you restore Janus, it will be as if he never died," the Guru explained softly as Glenn walked to a nearby corner, "With Janus alive the curse remains unbroken." 

"So why can't we go back and prevent Glenn from ever getting...frogged? And save Cyrus, too!" Ariel demanded, despair creeping into her voice. 

"If we do that," Prime noted sadly, "Then Glenn as a frog would not be able to assist us in our defeat of Lavos. His abilities were necessary toward that end. Also I do not believe even the Guru of Time has the power to make all lives flow as we would wish them to," Gaspar nodded silently. 

"We can, have to, save a mean, evil person like Magus and we cannot do anything as our friend bears up under a terrible curse again! It's not fair!" Ariel raged helplessly. 

"The Chrono Trigger can only be used to restore events to their proper sequence in a broken timeline," Gaspar explained regretfully, "The Trigger's spell does have limits. It can't work miracles." 

"Gaspar, can't you do anything?" Ariel asked, anguished. 

"Child, my power is over Time. I have no abilities over frogs or curses." 

"...the only way to save Schala, Leene, Doan and me is to..." Ariel halted. 

"Is for Glenn to take up the burden of his curse once more," Gaspar responded. 

Ariel mouthed "No!" as her voice failed and she turned away crying. Orion held her while she sobbed softly. 

"Ultimately," Gaspar continued after a moment's pause, "The choice is Glenn's." 

At this Glenn turned from his silent contemplation of the swirling mists of Time and regarded the Guru. 

"If you choose to, you may return to your time, and live out your life as you are. You, and you alone, would have knowledge of a queen named Leene. Since Ariel will not be born in the future, her absence in the time stream will allow Lavos to rise from the depths of Oblivion and destroy the world as you know it in the year 1999," Gaspar paused to let the words have their impact, then continued, "Or, you can accept the curse of an altered form, and maybe one day, find a way to reverse the spell. Either way, you have a responsibility to do what is right in your heart." 

There was a long moment of silence before Glenn asked, "Gaspar, please open'eth a portal to mine own time." 

"WHAT?!" Elora screamed as she raced toward the knight, her fist clenched, "You can't just..." 

Prime caught her as she dashed by and restrained her gently. 

"Elora, please," Gaspar held up one hand, "He has made his choice." 

A beautiful pillar of light formed and Glenn fixed his gaze on it. The only sound was Ariel's crying. 

Glenn contemplated the portal for a long moment before turning to Gaspar and saying, "Closeth it again." 

He walked over to Orion who released Ariel and stood aside. He took Ariel's shoulders in his hands and she looked up into his face, the tears streaming down her cheeks. A tear rolled down his face as he explained, "I canst leave Leene to the unforgiving Void or cast'eth thee into it. Whilst it may causeth me pain and hardship to be a frog again, I willing taketh that burden, so that others shall haveth more than just memories of thee." 

Overcome by his sacrifice, Ariel simply hugged Glenn tight. After a moment Orion cleared his throat and Ariel took a step away from Glenn. 

"Enough," Glenn locked gazes with each pair of anguished eyes in turn, "I hath said that I wouldst do anything to save Schala. It is sufficient that thee, my friends, hath known me, e'en if briefly, in my true form. Despiseth not...Alpha the frog overmuch," much lower he added, "I couldst only wish that a damsel could hath come to love me as Cyril, perhaps loveth me enough to...love also Alpha." 

"Do not despair of love just yet, my friend," Gaspar advised cryptically. 

"We hath a task before us. What need'eth we to restoreth Magus?" Glenn asked as he squared his shoulders. 

"Well, you have the Chrono Trigger. I've keyed it to Rainbow. All you need is to go to Norstein Bekkler's lab and get a Clone of him. Melchior has it all arranged." 

"Let us be off then," Glenn said heavily, "We need'eth stop in mine own time so that I may'eth retrieve the garments I used as a frog and I need to obtain another sword." 

"Will...will not the Masamune suffice?" Gaspar asked, shocked that Glenn would leave that sword behind. 

"I believeth not the brothers shall recognize me in frog guise," Glenn replied simply. 

"Glenn," Orion began, "Didn't they tell you it was the heart of the Hero they recognized and not the outward form? I remember them saying something like that." 

"When...oh, yes," Glenn said, the memory returning, "At Cyrus' grave. I remember'eth now." 

"How could you forget?" Masa's voice rang in his head, "He doesn't want us, Mune!" 

"Yeah," Mune's mental voice agreed loudly, "He probably has a sword of gold he's been hiding! Didn't even ask what WE wanted him to do!" 

"Not as if he doesn't need us," Masa went on, "He couldn't be the Hero without us..." 

"Had to be reminded by 'Spikey' over there..." 

"He just doesn't love us anymore..." 

"Stop'eth it, the two of thee!" Glenn demanded, his hands over his ears. Everyone blinked at him blankly. 

"The Masamune wast speaking to me again," Glenn explained, "I managed to offend'eth the brothers." 

"Ohhh..." the other five said. 

"Prime," Orion asked, "Could you get Ark ready for departure?" 

"Of course, Orion," the robot said as he went down the corridor. 

"Girls, you will have to stay her with Gaspar. We'll bring Magus back, then figure out what to do," Orion said. 

A look crossed Ariel's face, she grabbed Elora aside and the two of them began whispering and giggling, looking back to Orion and Glenn. 

"I'm not so sure I like this," Orion pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at the girls as he and Glenn started down the corridor to the timeship. 

"Remember, I'm not sure the Trigger will work. You can activate it with Rainbow. I would have keyed it to the Masamune...but Glenn will have his hands full," Gaspar warned, "I'll send the Chrono-wave from here when Ark materializes so you will not have long. If you should fail, return here and we'll figure out a new plan." 

Orion stopped, "What about us? If you stop Time, won't we be stopped, too?" 

"No," Gaspar explained, "The timeship will protect you and the Chrono-wave will only cover the Cape where Janus was killed. You will need to hover close to it but remain out of sight. You can't risk changing Glenn's memories." 

Orion still looked confused and was about to ask another question when Glenn said, "We understand'eth," he pulled Orion along, "Let us go and thou canst have Prime explain'eth it to thee later." 

When they were out of earshot of the Guru Orion said, "Glenn, can I ask you something?" 

"Certainly," Glenn responded. 

"Back there, when you had Gaspar open the portal back to the 6th Century," Orion said, "Were you actually going to do it? Were you going to go through it and forget about...well, everything?" 

Glenn paused before answering, carefully choosing his words, "I don't believe so. I gaveth myself a test. Wouldst I chose the path that would mean I lead'eth a normal life and destroy a future I wouldst ne'er know, being none the wiser? Or wouldst I have the strength to suffer a curse and save my queen, my friend and her children's children? In the end I made my final choice." 

"You made the right choice," Orion said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. 

"Nay," Glenn replied with a wry smile as he gently shrugged off his friend's hand and walked toward the Ark. 

Orion paused for a second before he realized what Glenn had said. "Nay?" he repeated, jogging to catch up to Glenn, "What do you mean 'Nay'? How could you have lived with yourself?" 

"It wast not a matter of the right choice or the wrong choice," Glenn answered, grinning at his friend's shocked reaction, "In the end, it wast the only choice I couldst make." 

With that, Glenn leapt onto the Ark, as Orion stood shaking his head at his friend's humor. He chuckled and joined his friends on the timeship. As he strapped in, Orion saw Prime cycle up the engines and pull away from the berth. He noted the Time-gyro stabilize and his world became a flashing white light. 

---------------------- 

Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get! 

stargarde@stargarde.com   



	3. Chapter Three

**Shadows of Schala - Chapter Three**

An unnoticed chrono-distortion washed just under the lip of the North Cape as Prime expertly piloted the Wings of Time to a rocky out-cropping just out of sight. 

"Nice job!" Orion noted. "This is the perfect spot!" 

"I merely accessed my records of the topography of the Cape. I will remain here, ready to return to the End of Time once you have Magus," Prime offered. 

"Okay, Prime. I've got the Chrono Trigger. Have you got the Clone?" Orion asked Glenn. 

"It's heavy, but I can manage. Where to?" 

Orion jumped lightly down from the wing of the Ark and waited as Glenn struggled slightly with Magus' Clone. They trekked cautiously up to the trees and stayed just out of sight of those already on the Cape. The past versions of Ariel and Prime suddenly nodded and stepped away from Magus and Alpha. Orion and Glenn watched in horror as Magus and Alpha began to duel. 

"We mis-timed it! Your past self and Magus have begun to fight," Orion winced as Magus took a particularly vicious cut from the enraged frog. "Gaspar is going to send the Chrono-wave! Do we have enough time to return to him and stop it?" 

Glenn watched sadly as Alpha, his own past self, Leap Slashed his enemy. Oozing blood from a dozen cuts and gashes Magus still fought on, summoning the light to himself and unleashing a bolt of Lightning at the berserk frog. A flash at the horizon made him look away from the melee.   
  
"Nay, the wave cometh!" Glenn pointed. 

Some awareness of great magic caused Magus' guard to slip a little. He stared open-mouthed at the scintillating wave of energy as it engulfed Alpha, the past Ariel and Prime and himself. Once the Chrono-wave had spent itself across the Cape, Glenn and Orion approached the time-frozen tableau. 

Glenn examined his past frog self in dismay, noting the short, squat stature, the wide set eyes, broad mouth and the odd non-human angles of the joints of his limbs. He then crossed to where Magus stood frozen and gazed searchingly into his adversary's face. The wonder and fear of the encroaching Chrono-wave had stamped a curiously vulnerable look in Magus' eyes. 

"Alas," Glenn asked as he glanced again at the frog. "Did I truly appear so...repulsive?" 

"Never, at least not to me. Your nobility of heart always showed through your form and together, because of that form, you and I did some incredible things," Orion responded softly. "Why did you challenge Magus?" 

"We had just seen thee...disintegrated by Lavos. Magus was insulting thee, acting as if thy...death was thine own fault. I couldst not stand by and allow him to insult thee any longer," Glenn answered. "and so I challenged him and in slaying him end'eth the curse he hath placed upon me," Glenn paused and bowed his head for a moment. "Ironic that now I must needs save him and accept back my curse to rescue'eth his sister, Leene, Ariel and all the rest. I couldst not bear it if Leene and Ariel wert to be...rent out of Time as Doan hast already been. Please...once I am again...transformed...call me 'Alpha'. Now, Orion, Magus' twin." 

They placed the Clone in position and Glenn gathered the true Magus into his arms. He walked to the end of the Cape just over where Prime hovered the Wings of Time and waited, poised to leap. 

Orion placed the Chrono Trigger between the two combatants and brought his sword, Rainbow, whistling down on it, cleaving it in two. A pure, white flash dazzled all as Time rushed back into the Cape. Under cover of the light, Orion raced to Glenn's side and jumped with him into the waiting Ark. 

"I know'eth not what foul sorcery thou weaveth, Magus, but I hath thee now!" they heard from the Cape followed by the unmistakable sound of the Masamune slashing through the air and then into something solid. A mortal scream carried across the Cape and, at that moment, Glenn fell to the floor of the timeship as dark magic twisted his form and features. 

He curled up into a tight ball and rocked soundlessly with the violent force of the magic that brutally reshaped him. When it had passed he remained curled up until Orion touched his shoulder. 

"'Tis done?" he croaked. Hearing the thickening croak he uttered, he knew it to be so. He leaped to his feet tossing his head back in despair as a single tear rolled down his broad frog-like face. 

"Gl...Alpha," Orion sighed sorrowfully. He reached forward and embraced his friend, awkwardly patting his wide back. "We'll find some way to break this curse for you. It isn't fair!" 

"Warning!" Prime called from where he was piloting Ark. "Magus' life signs are failing!" 

"He mustn't die now! We need him to saveth Schala and the others!" Alpha cried out in dismay as he looked at the unconscious Magus. 

Abruptly his tongue whipped out and touched Magus softly on the cheek. The wounds Magus had suffered healed and closed. Magus' eyes snapped open as he grabbed Alpha's tongue. 

"My curse has warped your mind as well as your body. First you try to kill me and now you heal me with your disgusting tongue! Give me one good reason not to twist the vile thing right out of your mouth," Magus demanded as he tightened his grip painfully. 

"Ilh...canllh't talllhk. Lllehllt ghho of myllh tongulllh!" Alpha lisped. 

"Un...tongue him, Magus! Let him go!" Orion demanded. 

"You...you're supposed to be dead. I saw Lavos...destroy you!" Magus, in his surprise, let Alpha go. 

"Much hath occurred that thou know'eth not. We need'eth thee to help us locate Schala. Come to the End of Time so that Gaspar canst explain all," Alpha replied. 

"The Guru of Time, eh? And Schala lost and probably in danger. Okay, I'll chat with the old man. But you!" he glared at Alpha. "Never touch me with that slimy tongue again!" 

"Don't worry. I've no desire to soil it upon thee. Thou tasteth bitter anyway," Alpha turned from Magus whose face was turning purple in his fury. "Orion, leaveth me here. I've...peace to find with my form again. Cometh retrieve me when thou art ready. That is...if thou hath any use for me," Alpha took up a parcel and leaped to the wing and then off to the now deserted Cape. 

"Good riddance," Magus sneered. 

Orion grabbed him by the throat. "If we did not need you to help us understand what is wrong with the time stream and find Schala; save Leene and Ariel, and all the rest; I'd gladly choke the life out of you now for all you've put Glenn through!" Orion declared in a low voice as his grasp tightened on Magus' neck. "But we do need you. If you can't respect him at least keep silent or I shall make you regret it," Orion vowed as he tossed Magus to the floor of the ship. 

"You're not the push-over I took you for, boy," Magus noted, rubbing his sore neck and rising to his feet. "Good! I loath goody-goodies. Now save me some time. How is it that you live?" 

"The same way you do, Gaspar's Chrono Trigger. Both of our...deaths were not in accord with the time stream we are now in. Since Lavos was a time-rending being, simply bringing the Chrono Trigger and a Clone of me near enough to...him was sufficient to work the Trigger's magic. In your case, since Lavos is no more, Gaspar had to send a Chrono-wave from the End of Time to stop everything long enough for us to switch you with your Clone. We arrived here later than we wanted. We were going to substitute your Clone for you in your fight with Alpha and prevent you from being injured. That was why he Slurped you. After all we've been through to rescue you we couldn't let you die on us," Orion explained. 

"Slurped? Is that what you call it? How gross! But...Lavos...no more?" Magus asked. 

"We destroyed it. Of course it was after Alpha had killed you and they had rescued me so you wouldn't know...technically they are going to rescue me now, but wait first they need to..." 

"Forget it. You're confusing me. I'll talk to Gaspar," Magus whirled his cloak about himself and sat down upon the seat. "Well, bolt bucket? Are you going to drive this thing to the End of Time or just sit there like some hideous piece of modern art?" Magus demanded of Prime. 

"This is a most unpleasant individual," Prime commented as Orion sat next to him. Prime set the controls and Ark lifted gracefully into the air and opened the corridor of Time. 

******** 

Magus deboarded with Orion and Prime and glanced disapprovingly at the corridor. 

"So this is the End of Time?" he commented. "Not much to look at!" 

"Tell me, are you ever happy with anything?" Orion asked. 

"I'm not happy to be here with you. If not for Schala..." 

"...yeah, yeah, yeah. You wouldn't be caught dead with us. But oops! You were!" Orion finished as he stepped around Magus and down the corridor. 

"Is he always so obnoxious?" Magus asked Prime conversationally. 

"You seem to bring out a negative side to him. I haven't seen this before. I am still compiling data," Prime responded. 

"'Still compiling data'? Oh great! The only one who's being civil is as interesting as dirt!" 

"Dirt is quite interesting. Its composition...oh, you were being sarcastic. Fortunately, my feelings are hard to hurt," Prime noted. 

"Feelings? You think you have feelings? Maybe I misjudged you, robot. You may be slightly more interesting than dirt. So, where's the Guru?" Magus asked. 

"Follow me," Prime bowed and walked down the hall. Magus shook his head as he ambled after the robot.   
  
Elora and Ariel rushed up with bright, welcoming faces that visibly deflated when Magus stepped through the doorway after Prime. They could see the empty corridor behind him. 

"Where's Alpha?" Ariel demanded. 

"The frog is sulking on North Cape," Magus answered. 

"You...you monster!" Ariel spat out. 

Elora looked as if she had tasted something sour and turned her back. Ariel tossed her head, spun around and walked away, joining Orion at the gate. After a moment Prime walked up to them as well. 

"Thank you for such a welcome greeting," Magus sneered. "Where's Gaspar?" 

"Age has not improved your social skills any, Janus," the Guru noted from his spot next to the lamp post. 

"Janus...was lost when Lavos banished me from Zeal," Magus replied as he strode to the old man's side. "I am 'Magus' now." 

"Your survival is amazing, and your magic skills are quite formidable, but you fool only yourself, Janus. You are who you are; when you accept who you truly are, under all your power, under all your hurt and pain, only then can you tell me who you are. Until then, I know you as Janus," the Guru responded. 

"Just wonderful! Fine, call me what you want, but clearly tell me what is going on. That one," Magus pointed to Orion, "is telling me that Lavos is dead, that I've been dead, that Schala is in trouble and I know I saw him die!" 

"How much of my lessons in Time do you remember?" Gaspar asked. 

"All of them," Magus answered confidently. 

"You remember the string and tapestry analogies, Janus? Good. Well, Lavos was imported from outside the tapestry of Time and what he did to affect things would therefore be an aberration..." 

"This is too boring. I'm going to talk to Spekkio," Ariel announced. "Anyone want to join me?" 

She noted the head shakes, shrugged her shoulders and entered Spekkio's room. 

Prime and Elora attended to Gaspar's explanation as intently and raptly as Magus did. Orion paced. He threw 'I'm sorry' looks to Prime and Elora when they glanced up in annoyance. He tried to stand still and follow the lesson, but it really was quite boring. He couldn't seem to settle down. He didn't want to talk to Spekkio and yet he felt he had to do something. 

Finally he realized what was bothering him. He was worried about Glenn, no...Alpha. He motioned his intent to Prime who flashed a 'yes' response from his photoreceptors and escaped to the Ark. He heaved a sigh as he eased the ship from the End of Time and set course for the Dark Ages. 

******** 

Orion landed the timeship skillfully at the base of the Cape and climbed toward the top. As he rounded some rocks his attention was caught by Alpha, sword out, leaping high in the air to land near a target of stones. He stumbled a little on landing and kicked into the small pile scattering the stones. 

Alpha sighed deeply as he set his sword down and knelt to pile the stones again. Orion approached and knelt next to him to help. 

"Well met," Alpha said. 

"Hi. Are you..." Orion trailed off. 

"Am I okay?" Alpha smiled ruefully. "Aye. What canst not be cured must needs be endured. I am...struggling to learn how to fight in this form again," he admitted. 

"Well," Orion began, looking at the stone pile. "You don't often attack rocks. Let's you and I spar a bit, let you get used to the balance of simple moves again and then...well I can be your target." 

Alpha blinked at him, "I think'eth sparring is a good idea, but I...I haveth not the control I wast used to. I canst...cut thee, hurt thee badly if I..." 

Orion grinned at him and shrugged his shoulders. 

"I don't want you unsure of yourself in a fight. It won't be the first time I've been hurt; it won't even be the first time I've been hurt by the Masamune as wielded by you! Or do you not recall some of the times you've been magically confused in a fight? To be honest, you've felt Rainbow's sting too! If you hurt me, Alpha, you can always heal me. We need you...we need you to be comfortable again as..." Orion trailed off. 

"...as I am now. Thou art right, Orion. I regret any pain thee may endure at mine hands..." 

"Any pain is quickly remedied by you, too, I hope! Do you even know if your Slurp Healing is completely back? I know you tagged Magus, but..." 

"There's no reason for it not to be and I am certain we shall know'eth before we art finished. Art thou sure thou wish'eth to assist me thus?" 

Orion grinned and drew Rainbow. He saluted Alpha cockily with the sword and assumed a sloppy ready stance. Alpha shook his head, picked up the Masamune and held it crosswise before himself. 

"Once, long ago, I said thou hath potential to become a good swordsman. 'Til now I thought I possess'eth a good eye for such things!" Alpha teased. 

Orion beamed as he fixed his stance and attacked his friend. He kept his speed down, to give Alpha a chance to adjust and remember what this form was supposed to feel like. Alpha brought the Masamune up and tried to counter but over-balanced and tripped into Orion's arms. 

"Whoa! Your supposed to fight me not throw yourself on my sword!" Orion noted as he cleared his blade carefully from Alpha's cloak. 

"'Tis hopeless," Alpha sighed dejectedly. 

"No," Orion countered. "It's just going to be a little hard. Tell you what. No tricks, no special moves, no magic, just straight, full-speed fighting. I'm really going to come at you, you really come at me," Orion said as he set Alpha on his feet. "Somewhere in you, you remember how to fight in this form. We simply have to bypass your brain. You can't think, you must do." 

"Aye, let us attempt'eth that," Alpha agreed as he raised his sword to guard position again. 

Orion came at him full-speed. Alpha's sword whipped up and around knocking Orion's sword aside and opening a small cut on Orion's sword arm. 

"Ouch! Great! That was great!" Orion called out. 

"I hath cut thee!" Alpha noted in dismay. 

"It's only a scratch. What's more important is you blocked and countered without thinking about it. You just did it. Your skills are all there just..." 

"Altered, e'en as I am. I taketh thy meaning. Let us continue." 

"I'll yield when you really hurt me. Until I do..." Orion grinned. "Keep fighting, 'cause I'm comin' at ya, Sir Froggy!" 

Orion came in with a powerful sideways slash. Alpha countered but Orion reversed the direction of his quick, curved sword and came in again low. Alpha snapped his weapon down to cover. Orion's hands stung from the clash of his sword on Alpha's heavier blade. 

Alpha lowered his head and Orion felt relief and dread. Relief, this was the fighting style he remembered and expected from Alpha; dread, because he knew he was going to hurt, a lot. 

A deceptively fast cut whipped toward him, he blocked early and Orion felt the point of the Masamune sink into his thigh. He stepped back and received a slice on his left arm. He darted forward with a diagonal down crossing slash and scored a light hit on Alpha's sword arm. Alpha threw a rising cut and opened a gash over his left eye. 

From that point on Orion lost any advantage he might have had and all track of how the fight progressed. He felt light hits everywhere as his strength drained slowly from him. His wrists ached from the crashing of his sword into Alpha's blade. Finally he dropped to one knee. 

"I yield!" 

Orion did not recognize the look on his friend's face. Alpha's eyes slowly cleared and warmth washed into them as he focused and recognized Orion. 

"Thou art hurt. I try'eth to hold back the force of the strikes but..." Alpha started. 

"You did. Please, don't feel bad. I knew what I was in for. To be honest, I lasted longer than I thought I could!" 

"This is all wrong! To recover'eth...what I was I must needs hurt mine own friend..." Alpha shook his head. He reached down and lifted Orion to his feet as he Slurped him on his arm. 

Orion felt a familiar warmth as the full power of the healing filled him and eased his pain. He felt vigor flow back to him as the healing mended the cuts and slashes. Within moments he was as good as new. 

Orion grinned at Alpha as he flexed his sword arm, "Thanks. I guess we can say that Slurp still works as well as it used to." 

"I am sorry...I hadst to harm thee..." 

"I'm sorry you had to return to being a frog," Orion stated flatly. 

"...There are some advantages," Alpha replied. 

"Really? Do tell!" 

"My smaller stature allow'eth me to defend myself better. I always liketh Slurp Healing and Leap Slash. Our combined attacks art brutal. I canst sleep anywhere. It is fun to jump several times mine own height and I am a powerful swimmer," Alpha admitted. 

"Since we met you I've often wondered what it would be like to be a frog, or really anything different," Orion said. 

"Part horror, part joy. As a curse, it is most horrible. I wouldst not wish it on anyone...but if it were reversible...well, it can be fun. It is the looks and comments, the distances people keep, the horror and pity and hatred in their eyes; these art what hurt'eth and maketh of the curse an evil thing. Thou and Elora and all the rest brought'eth me out of the worst of it. There art some in mine own time who won't care how I appear, but they art few and precious. I...dread being this again." 

Orion looked uncommonly solemn for a moment, this was the most Alpha had ever spoken of his condition and how it made him feel. 

"Let's see if Leap Slash still works," he suggested quietly. 

"Art thou certain? I've never Leap Slashed thee, but I can assure thee, it is quite painful!" 

"You need to know if you remember it before you are in a fight where you are relying on it. Or do you just like to hear me say, 'Alpha, attack me, please'?" 

Alpha laughed, "Thou hath convinced me." 

Orion walked a few paces away from Alpha, sheathing his sword as he did so. He knew his reflexes would cause him to try to block the painful attack and he could hurt Alpha if he did. He tried to convince his racing heart to slow down and his overactive brain to calm down. Alpha's Leap Slash was going to hurt, intensely, but Alpha needed the confidence that executing the move correctly would bring. Orion hoped it would not end up executing HIM. 

He schooled his face into a slightly bored smile and looked up. Alpha saw past his facade as he looked into his friend's eyes. He saluted Orion with his sword. 

"Closeth thine eyes," Alpha suggested softly. 

Orion nodded and did. He heard the Masamune whipping through the air and sensed the menace of Alpha's strike overhead. He tried not to flinch as the sword screamed down, slashing open his chest. The agony made him gasp and reel back. 

He felt the gathering of power and then the soothing relief of Alpha's strongest healing magic flowed over him in the moment before Alpha's arms closed about his shoulders, supporting his weight. 

"Orion! Art thou..." Alpha began frantically. 

Orion opened his eyes and smiled, "I'm fine, Alpha. That was fast! I didn't even have time to fall!" 

"I am so sorry thou hadst to endure..." 

"Yeah, that hurts! I pity the monsters you attack with that, but not as much as the ones we decide to Spire!" 

Alpha laughed. He walked over and picked up the Masamune from where he had thrown it after slashing Orion and Leap Slashed his pile again. Orion noted the easy assurance of the move and nodded when Alpha looked up. 

"Someday, you might become a passable swordsman," Orion noted laconically. 

Alpha laughed, "Watch it, Tadpole!" 

"'Tadpole'?! I kinda like that!" Orion responded. "C'mon. We've got to find out what Gaspar's discovered. Do you think you can fly the Ark?" 

"Aye but..." 

"I had better change or the girls are going to ask questions," Orion noted as he parted the rent in his tunic. 

"I see'eth what thou mean," Alpha agreed. 

"Are you going to be okay?" 

"At least I can fight again. Thank thee. Not many hath the courage to accept'eth such pain." 

"You know you would have done the same for me. But answer me. Are you okay?" 

"...Nay. I thought'eth I left this pain behind me. Now to be cast back into it, without hope of ending it..." 

"I know, Magus..." 

"Once I struck him down in anger to avenge thee. Now...I canst not bring myself to slay him in cold blood, simply to end my curse. So I must be again as I wast before, accepting the curse of this frog form until I leaveth this mortal coil. I miss being human already," Alpha lowered his head. 

"...I...I wish I could do SOMETHING." 

"As do I, but we canst not and so I shall take one step, or leap, at a time. For now, I canst fight again. Shall we find out who's going to receive my Leap Slashes and our Spires, Tadpole?" 

"Tadpole, Punk Head, Sparky, I sure am picking up a lot of unusual nicknames!" Orion complained. 

"...and thou know'eth not all of them," Alpha whispered under his breath. 

"Spikey sure showed mucho courage back there didn't he, Masa," Mune noted in Alpha's mind. 

"Yeah, mondo courage, but few brains, accepting a Leap Slash on purpose. I'll concede courage on that one," Masa agreed. 

Alpha listened to his sword's banter with itself as he followed Orion to the timeship. He set the compass to the End of Time and tried to relax as the ship made the journey. He felt apprehension about meeting the rest of his friends again, now that he was once more a frog and the misery of his curse rose up and swept him away. 

---------------------- 

Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get! 

stargarde@stargarde.com   



	4. Chapter Four

**Shadows of Schala - Chapter Four**

Orion vaulted out of the Wings of Time and waited to hear Alpha land beside him. After a moment he looked down into the Ark and felt his heart wrench. Alpha was still seated, shoulders slumped, with the most pitiful expression upon his amphibian features. 

"Come, my friend," Orion said softly as he offered his hand. 

Alpha looked up, squared his shoulders and leaped to Orion's side. They walked down the corridor to Gaspar's lamp post in companionable silence. 

Ariel and Elora immediately raced over and began raining kisses down on Alpha's cheeks. 

"He's still cute in a froggy kinda way..." Elora noted to Ariel. 

"Yeah, and his eyes are now a dreamy golden yellow," Ariel responded. 

"He's a lot easier to kiss when he's this height," Elora commented as she planted another kiss on Alpha's left cheek. 

"Hmph! I guess it wasn't my kiss that uncursed him before..." Ariel pouted as she kissed his right cheek. 

Orion simply stood to one side and beamed. Prime started to ask something and finished by shaking his head in his confusion. Gaspar smiled ever so slightly. Magus regarded the girls as if they had completely lost their minds. He swallowed convulsively a few times.   
  
"Are you mad? He's a slimy, hideous frog!" he roared. 

"He's not slimy!" Ariel retorted. She ran one hand lightly over the top of Alpha's hairless head. "'Tis smooth and cool," she placed a gentle kiss there. 

Alpha just stood there with his mouth open, stunned to depths of his soul. 

"Girls!" Orion said, mock-severely. "How many times must I ask you? Are you quite finished?" He echoed his question from when they had greeted Glenn in his human form for the first time. 

"Nope!" Ariel asserted. "He's my own dear frog-knight!" She kissed his cheek again. 

"Who knows? Maybe a hundred kisses, or a thousand will break Magus' curse. Can it hurt to try?" Elora added as she too kissed Alpha. 

"That does not make sense..." Prime began. 

"I assure you silly girls, my curse cannot be broken by kisses, but only by my death!" Magus stated severely. 

"You did this to him!" Ariel flashed in anger as she turned on him. "Don't tempt me or I will end Alpha's curse again. Now, shut up and let us greet our friend! Thank you, Glenn, for...for rescuing..." her voice trailed off as her eyes widened in sorrow. 

She leaned over and hugged Alpha. "You are not hideous to me," she whispered to him. He blinked. Elora whispered something that made him blush. 

"Do not despair, Glenn. I've seen in many times and places, people who will help all of you in your quest. They help whether you are a frog or a man. There are generous hearts in your future," Gaspar notified him. 

"There are enough of them right here," Alpha rasped as he subtly turned toward his friends and away from Magus. 

"Indeed," Gaspar replied as he locked eyes on Magus. 

"As touching as this revolting reunion is to you, we've still got to find out what happened to Schala. Before we go gallivanting through time and space, I need to return to my castle. As the Prophet I did not wear armor or carry a weapon. I must retrieve my magic books as well," Magus informed them. 

"What a lovely way he has of asking for help," Ariel noted sarcastically to everyone else. "I've no desire to travel with him more than necessary. Who will take him on his errand?" 

******** 

The Wings of Time materialized over Magus' castle. Orion and Alpha leaped down in their customary way as Magus levitated down. As soon as Magus' feet touched the ground he screamed and fell over. 

Alpha reacted a fraction quicker than Orion, lifting Magus' head and shoulders and clearing the pale blue hair from Magus' face. Orion drew Rainbow and circled, scanning desperately for Magus' attacker. Noticing nothing he resheathed his sword before coming to Alpha's side. Alpha likewise did not see anything obvious but Slurped Magus just in case. 

"He's breathing," Orion said helplessly. 

"'Tis almost as if he wert knocked unconscious," Alpha noted. "But he did not hit his head..." he trailed off. 

"...do...you think it could be...Schala? She's been trying so hard to reach him that you and Ariel were receiving...some kind of overflow. Do you think maybe her message is so...urgent that it could do this?" Orion asked hesitantly. 

"Aye. That seemeth quite plausible. Well, if 'tis so, Magus wilt not be o'erjoyed to waken in mine arms," Alpha jested as he carefully laid Magus on the ground. He removed his cloak, folded it into a pillow and placed it under Magus' head. 

"Let us withdraw somewhat, so as not to startleth him when he awakes," Alpha whispered. He and Orion stepped back a few paces, half-turned from Magus and conversed together in low tones. 

A quarter of an hour later, Magus woke, sat up and gazed into space for a moment. He rose, gathered up the cloak and walked over to Alpha and Orion. Without a word he handed the cloak to Alpha. He ran his fingers through his hair and brushed his shoulders off. 

"It was the force of Schala's messages that...inconvenienced me, not anything your accursed 'Slurp' could have fixed. Didn't I warn you about this once?" Magus glared at Alpha. "Schala is in some terrible danger, but she fears more strongly for our world. She's concerned about some 'Dread Lord' changing the past, present and future. I don't think she means Lavos. I couldn't understand all of her messages...undoubtedly from the frog's interference, receiving what was not directed to him, but that can't be helped. Perhaps Gaspar can more clearly read the time lines now that Schala's messages aren't cluttering them. I still need to retrieve my equipment," Magus explained, then turned and walked off. 

"Orion?" Alpha asked as he donned his cloak. "Ere I try'eth to do something nice for him again," he indicated Magus' retreating back, "Do thou slap'eth me silly!" 

******** 

"Ah, home!" Magus said as he breathed deep. 

Orion tossed a startled glance to Alpha who only lifted his shoulders in a 'I know'eth not' expression. Magus did honestly seem to be comfortable in the dark, moody, brooding edifice. 

"Well then," Magus said sourly. "Follow me. I guess it doesn't matter much now if you see some of the secret passages." 

He walked over to one of the hideous paintings on the wall, it looked like it was painted by a talented, but insane, artist who had set his easel on a hill in hell, and pushed a concealed switch. Part of the wall swung open. 

Magus lead them through a maze of concealed passages. Occasionally, Orion and Alpha would recognize part of some of the corridors they passed through, but most of the journey was through new territory.   
  
"Stop!" Magus held up a gloved hand to halt their progress. "Do you hear something?" 

"Aye. It seem'eth to be coming from here," Alpha agreed pointing toward a side passage. 

Magus brusquely pushed pass him and down the passageway. He pushed another hidden switch and the wall opened. Orion and Alpha followed Magus out into the room, blinking in the stronger light. 

Magus strode over to a curious lump on the floor. The lump was groaning and writhing about. Magus pushed at it with the toe of one boot. 

"Ozzie," He spat out in explanation. "What a waste of time! Come, we have a fair amount of distance to go yet," he swirled his cloak as he wheeled sharply and re-entered the secret corridor. 

Orion and Alpha looked up and took note of the rectangular hole some fifty feet above them. 

"He'll live," Orion said, noting the vigorous movements Ozzie made in his pain. "We better follow Magus before he loses us." 

The secret panel swung softly after them and closed with a tiny click. 

"T...traitor!" Ozzie lifted his head and called weakly after Magus before slumping again to the floor. 

******** 

"I guess I don't need the books on Lavos anymore," Magus remarked later in his library. "'Advanced Theory of Magic', 'Mystic Uses for Practical Objects', 'The Grim Reaper's Grimoire', 'Curse Me Once, Curse Me Twice, Do Not Ever Curse Me Thrice'...yes, I think I shall need these again," Magus muttered as he tossed the books in his pack. 

"This one," he held up the slim book of curses, "Alpha should find interesting reading. It is, after all how he became the frog he is today!" Magus sneered. Orion smashed him up against the wall, the bared length of Rainbow threatening Magus' neck. 

"I spoke with you once about respecting Alpha or holding your tongue. I shall not warn you a third time," Orion promised in a low tone. He pulled his sword from Magus' throat and slammed the mage into the workbench. He turned to wipe his blade on a piece of parchment before sheathing it. 

Magus touched his throat and drew back gloved fingertips tinted with blood. His eyes promised mayhem as he dabbed his neck with a cloth. He then reached down and retrieved the book of curses. He regarded Orion for a long moment from under veiled eyes, smiled tightly and flipped through the book. 

"Magus..." Alpha warned. "Think'eth it not!" 

Orion turned to see what was going on behind him. 

"Very well," Magus grumbled returning the book to his pack. "Another time, boy!" he promised under his breath. 

"Well, I am finished here," Magus said a few moments later. "My armor and scythe are in the next room. I should not need to warn you, most of the flasks contain poison, acid and other such pleasant fluids. Touch them at your own risk!" he swept from the room. 

"I don't think I even want to know what he would have cursed me into," Orion noted lightly. 

"'Tis no laughing matter!" Alpha remonstrated.   
  
"I know...part of me is shaking pretty badly. I think...I hope Magus was only kidding...I don't think I could bear up as you have," Orion admitted softly. 

Alpha blinked at Orion's candor and cleared his throat. "Yes, well, hmmm. What is taking him so long?" 

Alpha walked across the room and opened the chamber door. Magus stood in the center of the room holding his pack, scythe and armor. It looked as though he had been walking toward the door when something on the wall arrested his attention. Alpha walked up to his side, noted his gaze and followed its line to the wall. 

"Schala!" he breathed in wonder. 

A life-size portrait of Schala graced Magus' wall. It showed her in exquisite detail, her quiet beauty, the tilt of her head, the concern in her eyes. She appeared to be looking just over the viewer's shoulder, almost as if at any moment she would refocus her eyes and smile warmly at him. Orion stood next to Alpha and studied the realistic portrait also. He noticed how a cat he recognized as Alfador, rubbed against her right ankle. 

Orion looked side-long at Magus' face and saw the longing of a little boy for his older sister as well as a thoroughly adult resolve. The resolve was nothing new, but the vulnerability made him realize that Magus probably had been teasing about cursing him in the other room. He hoped. 

"We...we should go...Gaspar might have some news..." he began. 

"Yes," Magus shook as if he was waking from a dream. "We've dawdled here long enough. I must find Schala!" he turned to leave the room. 

"Magus?" Alpha asked softly. "Who paint'eth this likeness?" 

"I...I did, years ago. Why?" Magus asked defensively. "Do not dare to insult..." 

"You have remarkable talent," Alpha commented as he stepped out of the room. 

"She does look real," Orion agreed as he too left the room. 

Magus turned back for one last look. "If only she were..." 

********

"The time lines have cleared dramatically. I dare say Schala does not realize her own power! She never emerged from the Ocean Palace and yet the...thread that is her life was not...cut, indicating her death. Forgive me, but it is hard to explain the intricacies of Time in everyday terms," Gaspar admitted as he shifted the bowler on his head. 

"Thou doth quite well, we can follow thee," Alpha assured him. 

"When Orion was killed out of time by Lavos, it was as if the thread that is his life was cut out of the fabric of Time. The threads touching his began to fall apart from the pattern, like cloth unraveling. I cannot track an individual thread, or life, but I can sense gross disturbances in the whole of the fabric and track them to their source. Restoring the thread of Orion's life restored the weave of the fabric. By this I knew Orion's death was out of its normal time and my Chrono Trigger might work," Gaspar paused and look at each face in turn to make certain he hadn't lost anyone. He resumed talking. "Janus' death took longer to similarly affect the fabric, Schala's need for him is all that is untimely in his death. If not for her, Janus' death would not matter to the weave of Time. Schala is crucial for the time line we are in to continue at all. Her descendants are critical forces throughout the weave of the fabric of this time stream. If she is not restored, this reality will collapse. Not only her descendants, but the whole of this time line will disappear," Gaspar finished. 

"So Magus doesn't matter for himself, but merely for his sister," Ariel said. 

Magus simply stared at her expressionlessly. 

"The death of anyone affects us all. Usually not in a good way," Gaspar noted quietly. Ariel had the grace to look ashamed at her nasty comment. 

"At least, princess, my entire existence does not rely on my sister. I promise to remember all your lovely comments fondly if we should fail. I would be one of the very few who remembers the fact you existed at all," Magus sneered. "Bah! If not for my sister I'd not waste my time. A spoiled, vapid princess such as you is entirely beneath my notice." 

"You!" Ariel sputtered as she launched herself physically at Magus. 

He reacted instinctively as Ariel reached him. She crashed into his stiffened arm and fell heavily to the ground, hitting her head on the pavement. Immediately Orion grabbed Magus and slammed him up against the lamp post hard enough to shake it. 

"Hey," Gaspar complained. Alpha rushed to Ariel's side. She was sobbing a little from pain and a little from the hurtful insults Magus had hurled her way. Alpha brushed her tears away from her face gently and noticed the black eye that was already beginning to show. Softly, he reached out and Slurped her cheek. She smiled wanly at him as her pain left. He helped her to her feet. 

"Princess, thou brought'eth that upon thyself. Insults beget insults," Alpha pointed out. 

"I...know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Magus," Ariel sniffled. "Orion, let him go. It was my fault." 

"But he...he hit you!" Orion protested. 

"Actually, I kinda ran into his arm. I shouldn't have rushed him," Ariel admitted. 

Orion let Magus go. He stepped away from the lamp post, edged warily around Orion while rubbing his throat and stared at Ariel. She smiled weakly at him. 

"Accountability," he noted. "I wouldn't have thought that you, princess..." 

"Magus, Ariel offered you an apology. No more insults, okay?" Elora asked. 

"Until the next time she needs to be let down a peg or two," Magus agreed. 

Orion walked over and put his arm around Ariel's shoulders. She sniffled again and put her head on his shoulder. He half embraced her, offering her comfort. 

"Just peachy. There's a Janus-shaped dent in my lamp post! Do you know how hard it is to get a new lamp post delivered when your address is the End of Time?" Gaspar complained. 

Everyone laughed and the tension eased. 

"Magus, can I ask a favor?" Ariel ventured a moment later. Truth be told the dark mage frightened her more than she wanted to admit. She knew he had killed Cyrus, cursed Glenn, summoned Lavos, tried to kill them all in Zeal Palace...His dark, grim and foreboding manner didn't help either. 

He lifted an eyebrow sardonically and nodded. 

"Please...please don't call me 'princess' okay? It makes me crazy. Call me Ariel," she requested in a small voice. 

Both eyebrows rose in surprise. "You don't like being a princess?" he asked. 

"No! My father would never let me out of his sight, if he could stop me. He's so afraid I will get hurt and then the kingdom would have no heir...I'm so tired of titles and names and formality...I could just scream!" Ariel finished. 

"Ariel...Alfador and Janus would have agreed with you," Magus nodded. "So be it." 

Gaspar had fallen asleep at the lamp post. They were so used to his snores they only served as background noise. He woke with a start. 

"I've just looked at the time stream. You must return to Ariel's castle. Something important has just taken place. It's almost clear enough for me to see, but I need you to confirm what I think may be true," Gaspar said. 

"My home? Daddy? Oh, Orion, let's hurry. C'mon, Elora!" Ariel danced in place so anxious did the Guru's words make her, before racing off down the corridor. 

"We'll wait for you here," Prime called after them. "I've gotten good at waiting. Poker, anyone?" he offered producing a standard deck from somewhere. 

"You want me to play poker with a robot and a frog? How does one play against two natural poker faces?" Magus complained. "Okay, deal, you two-armed bandit." 

Prime laughed at Magus' reference which brought a slight smile to Magus' face. Alpha watched in amazement as Magus relaxed a little and joked with the robot. He lost the first five hands. 

******** 

Orion materialized the Ark over Melchior's hut and then simply flew it to the castle. Ariel bounded down over the edge as soon as the ship touched down and took the castle steps by twos in her haste. Orion and Elora chased right after her. 

"What's happened?" Ariel asked the first guard. "Where's father?" 

"Father? I don't understand, my queen," the guard shook his head. 

"Queen? I'm Princess Nadia and my father is the king. Where is he?" Ariel was becoming frantic. 

"Too much sun," Elora commented as she turned Ariel from the guard. He nodded. Elora led Ariel to her room, chased out her tutors and sat Ariel down on her bed. 

"Ariel, the Chronal Eraser must have reached him," Elora noted. "Don't panic, we can still find out..." 

Ariel began to cry softly. Orion immediately went to her side to offer her comfort. She clung to him and sobbed against his chest. 

"I...still have nightmares of when I was...erased out of time. So cold...so dark...so lonely...daddy, well daddy's been lonely for so long, I hate to think of him suffering that, I never did hug him before I left..." Ariel's misery overwhelmed her and Orion merely held her and rocked her as he stroked her hair. Elora looked on, pity in her eyes under her thick glasses. 

Ariel's sobs subsided. "Okay. We need to figure out what to do next. There has to be some way to retrieve daddy. Maybe the time stream cleared up a little more with him gone..." her eyes welled up again but she refused to let the tears fall. 

"I think we have a more pressing problem. King Guardia's disappearance is from the Chronal Eraser ripping back through time to Schala. Once it reaches her...well I'm not sure what will happen but it's not good. It has to come through you and as it nears Schala's time it accelerates. Ariel, you're next. I think if we get you to the End of Time and keep you there, you'll be safe from it, but I'm not sure..." Elora explained. 

Orion stood and grasped Ariel's hands. "Let's not wait then! We should return to Ark now and..." 

Just then an eerie black Gate opened into Ariel's room. Two man-shaped black creatures stepped through. There was no sign of any features and no texture, no cloth or hair, skin or fur. Light seemed to simply fall into their forms and give up trying to show any detail. Orion jumped to his feet and drew his sword. He placed himself between these intruders and his friends. One of them struck Orion with a fist. He slashed Rainbow at him in a beautiful over-under two hit strike. It hit, but seemed not to trouble the creature at all. Ariel noticing Orion's failure to harm their foes with his powerful sword, cast a strong Ice spell. The creature shrugged the spell off. 

Elora threw her Megabombs. Both enemies ignored it as they advanced. One of them grabbed Ariel's arm. Completely unnerved by their silent intent she struggled and hit him with the side of her crossbow. The invincible foe ignored that attack as it had ignored all others. Orion summoned the strongest spell he knew, levitated and sent the fury of his Luminaire attack into the creatures. Unfazed, they secured their hold on Ariel and stepped back through the Gate. It closed. 

"Ariel!" Orion screamed. "Where is she? Elora..." 

"A Black Gate? We've got to tell Gaspar. We can't do anything here. Come on," Elora grabbed Orion's hand and led him from the room. 

"It's too much, Elora. First, she's threatened with Chronal Erasure again and now...taken...I don't even know by who...I...I love her..." Orion admitted as Elora dragged him from the room. 

"Yeah, well, duh, tell me something I don't know," Elora replied. "Come on, Sparky! We gotta find out what we got to do to rescue her most serene royal pain in the..." 

"Elora!" Orion laughed in spite of himself. "She'd be sitting on you, yanking your hair out by the handfuls if she heard you!" 

"Good! I wouldn't even mind too much if she did! You gotta keep your hope. We'll find her. We'll rescue her. I mean, come on, we rescued you from death and the planet, the planet, mind you, from a space-born, giant, mutant planet eater. Whatever kidnapped Ariel, no way can take us on!" Elora boasted. 

"I don't know," Orion said, sobering. "My sword didn't hurt it, ice, fire and lightning didn't touch it..." 

"Everything has a weakness. We'll find it," Elora said as Orion gave her a leg up to Ark. "We have to." 

******** 

"What hath thou done with Ariel?" Alpha asked as Orion and Elora ran up to them at the End of Time. 

"She...she got kidnapped," Orion answered breathlessly. "A black Gate opened, two black goons jumped out and grabbed her!" 

"Why didn't you stop them?" Magus asked. 

"Prime, lock rambolts!" Orion cried as he grabbed the mage and hurled him at the robot. A small click from Prime's booted feet sounded just before Magus crashed against Prime's wall-like chest. 

"Orion! Why didst..." Alpha began.   
  
"Understood, but why..." Prime said. 

"We're all upset, Magus didn't mean..." Elora started. 

"While I am glad you did not use my lamp post again as your wall, why did you attack Janus? It was an innocent question," Gaspar noted. 

"I...I know. I'm...sorry, Magus. It's just I get so crazy when Ariel's threatened and I've gotten used to throwing you against things. I know you didn't mean anything evil..." Orion began. 

"Yeah, well my shoulder has gotten used to you hurling me at various walls, too," Magus noted rubbing his left shoulder. 

Alpha began working his throat. 

"Don't you dare Slurp me!" Magus warned. "I'd rather have a sore shoulder!" 

Prime shot a green beam that engulfed and cured Magus instead. 

"Hmph. Much better, thank you," Magus said, rather curtly. "If you are finished smashing me about, could you answer my question? Why did you let them take Ariel?" 

"I tried to stop them!" Orion cried out in anguish. "My sword was useless...Luminaire didn't harm them...they were immune to every attack. I can't stand that anything threatens Ariel..." Orion paced like a caged tiger and finally hit the door to Spekkio's room. 

Spekkio poked his head out. "It's open, you don't need to knock! Waking me from a perfectly good dream, Nu..." he closed the door again. 

"A black Gate?" Gaspar asked. "That does not sound like a Time Gate. Perhaps one in space. Why don't you..." 

"...go play with Spekkio again?" Orion finished. "Are we always going to have to babysit the god of war when you need to do research?" 

"No...you could stay out here but I'm just going to look like I'm sleeping. It's rather boring to watch actually," the Guru offered. 

"Let's fight Spekkio," Orion, Alpha, Prime and Elora said in unison as Gaspar began to snore. 

"What is Spekkio?" Magus asked Prime as the others proceeded them into Spekkio's room. 

"Well, he claims to be the god of war. He is immune to all but magic attacks and he...Elora, what is the expression? 'Kicked our butt'?" Elora nodded as she entered. "he kicked our butt the last time we fought him. Of course we now have Alpha back in his frog form so some of our combined spells will work," Prime explained. 

"Back in frog form? Combined spells?" Magus muttered. "You must explain this to me later." 

"Certainly, right now let's see what we can manage with Spekkio," Prime agreed.   


********

Gaspar grinned as five smoking, dripping, singed, smudgy-faced individuals emerged from Spekkio's room. 

"Spell Town?" he asked. 

"In spades!" Orion admitted. "I think maybe Spekkio's gotten so powerful we can't beat him anymore. We did better, Alpha and I combined a few Spires on him, but that's like saying I emptied more ocean because I drained it a cup rather than a teaspoon. It sure isn't enough." 

"Too bad Magus and I can't combine our fire spells," Elora noted. "We could do a lot of damage together." 

"And my lasers," Prime added. "Spekkio said they sufficed as Shadow magic. What could they do if actual Shadow were channeled through them?" 

"I think I shall have to test each of you for sensitivity to Time. Your suppositions are uncanny," Gaspar said rather cryptically. 

Five faces turned to him with various confused expressions. 

The Guru smiled gently before sobering as he turned toward Magus. "Janus, you will fall again and perhaps fail to rescue Schala unless you learn to combine your magic with the others." 

"Work with them? With my magic? Impossible! It's all I have..." Magus fell silent. 

"All that makes thee unique?" Alpha ventured. 

"Don't presume to understand me, frog! And don't you dare attack me again!" Magus whirled on Orion. 

Orion pointed to himself in a "who me?" innocent look. 

"It's the only way to find and rescue Schala. You will perish if you don't," Gaspar warned. 

Magus walked to the rail overlooking the mists of Time. "To give...to give up control of my magic..." he said softly. 

"Not always," Prime noted as he walked up to Magus' side. 

"What do you mean? Explain it to me!" Magus appealed imperiously. 

Prime regarded Magus impassively. "Let's you and I talk to Spekkio. All of you, wait here." 

"How is it Prime can work so easily with Magus?" Orion asked as the door closed. 

No one responded for a moment. 

"Perhaps because he looks under the surface meaning. He looks for why Magus says something, not what Magus says. He doesn't take offense and so he is better able to communicate than the rest of you," Gaspar pointed out. 

"We do tend to fly off the handle with Magus. Me more than anyone else," Orion admitted. "I never thought how...lonely he must be." 

"His life wast stunted by Lavos, but that excuseth not Cyrus' death," Alpha stated. 

"Or you. He's hurt you at least as much as Lavos hurt him. I'll work with Magus, but I can't see ever liking him," Elora admitted. 

******** 

"Wait, before you wake him," Magus asked as Prime reached toward Spekkio, "...please...explain combining magic to me." 

"Spekkio would be better able..." 

"No," Magus' pale hair flowed as he shook his head, "I'd rather you did." 

"Very well, but my knowledge is limited to what I do. I don't know how it is for humans. Orion and I combine my Shock and his Lightning equally to make Supervolt. Elora charges me with Fire Magic when I Fire Tackle something. I am the focusing element for Elora's magic, she is the one who powers it." 

"So I would not be just a...magic battery for someone else..." Magus wondered. 

"No. Combined magic does not have power struggles. It's cooperative." 

"I...might be able to cooperate with you, possibly Elora; but that punk kid and the frog..." 

"Orion and Alpha are my friends. Some of the most potent magic I have seen is when they combine magic or when I cooperate with one or both of them," Prime stated simply. 

"You said before we fought Spekkio that Alpha was 'back in frog form'. What did that mean?" Magus asked. 

"Glenn had returned to his human form when he had returned home to the Middle Ages after killing you. We realized that recovering you with Gaspar's Chrono Trigger would have the undesirable effect of reinstating your curse on him. To revive you Glenn had to become Alpha the frog again." 

"That would explain the coolness and hostility toward me..." 

"Yes. All of us are Glenn's, Alpha's...Alpha's...Alpha's friends. We would do almost anything to help him," Prime explained solemnly. 

"Are you okay? That...stutter..." 

"Merely a slight overload on my logic chip. I can compensate." 

"Glenn...I haven't thought of him as that for years. It really is remarkable that he's survived. I thought I'd gotten rid of him when I cursed him. I never imagined he'd live this long," Magus mused. 

"Alpha has many remarkable characteristics. Now allow me to wake Spekkio and see if we can combine our magics," Prime said, shaking Spekkio awake. 

******** 

Spekkio's door opened and Prime walked out carrying Magus over one shoulder. Prime was soaking wet and yet strangely scorched. Magus' hair hung limply down the robot's side singed here and there with laser burns. A few burns blackened the pale skin of his arms as well. 

"What hath happened?" Alpha cried as he leaped forward. 

"He's not dead again, is he?" Orion asked. 

Both were reaching toward Magus when they realized he was moving. His shoulders jerked spasmodically and as he looked up through his lank, tangled hair, Orion and Alpha realized he was helpless with laughter. 

Prime set Magus down propping him against the lamp post. He promptly slid til he was sitting against it as tears streamed down his face. 

"What hath thou done to our darkling ally?" Alpha asked Prime. 

"I can't explain this. We had been doing so well, actually aligning our magic together when Spekkio magically Confused me. The next thing that I was aware of was...awakening at Spekkio's feet as is usual when he defeats us. Magus had also been revived. He was laughing hysterically so I brought him out here. Elora, explain this to me!" Prime demanded as he turned toward her. 

"Oh! Oh! Don't! I will. Oh, Prime, it was just too funny! You have been...solicitous...helpful and with one spell Spekkio...oh, the look on your face...you do have emotions...it was priceless! Ferocious apology! I was laughing before your first laser blasts hit me. Those hurt!...but your face..." Magus dissolved into helpless laughter again. 

"So, Prime befriends Magus by attacking him," Orion noted. "Should I try it?" 

"Thou hath already, several times. Methinks that is Prime's method only," Alpha responded, semi-seriously.   
  
"Oh, oh! Ouch!" Magus clutched his sides. 

"I've never heard you laugh before, Janus," the Guru said thoughtfully. "Chuckle rather evilly, yes, but laugh, no." 

"'Tis a pleasant sound," Alpha added. 

"Well, the robot is right," Magus confirmed as he composed himself. "He and I did merge our magic for a brief moment, enough to demonstrate to me how powerful combined magic can be before, well, disaster struck. Ouch!" Magus grabbed his left shoulder. He brought a lock of his hair forward and realized that about four inches had been lazed off. The look he gave Prime made Elora and Orion laugh. 

"That Nu!" Gaspar muttered as he swept his arm over Prime and Magus. Restored, Prime reached down and lifted Magus to his feet. 

"Can Spekkio be a little less...exuberant? I can't learn anything if he blasts us senseless every other minute," Magus asked the Guru seriously. 

"No. Spekkio is...what he is. I think you need to return to Time, somewhere, and learn how to cooperate with the others. I can find you when I discover something new. Take some time, you have enough of it, to learn how to fight together. The only time you must not go is the Prehistoric Era. Arvia will not be affected by any of this and if you bring her into it..." Gaspar warned. 

"...we risk changing things even more," Prime finished. 

"Where...when should we go?" Magus asked. 

"Well, I would like to take Prime to my workshop and fit him with the illogic chip, I really think it will help him, but there aren't too many monsters in the 1000's," Elora began. "Besides, we can't travel in groups more than three without ending up here," she noted looking at the End of Time. 

"Okay, this is what we'll do," Orion decided after a swift moment of thought. "Elora, you and Prime take the Ark and go to your workshop. Do whatever you have to, take however long you need and then look for us at Alpha's pad. Alpha, Magus and I'll go to the 6th century, where there are many more monsters, and see what we can manage with combining our magic. When you and Prime rejoin us, you guys can work with Magus until Gaspar contacts us. That is if Gaspar will open a Gate for us to the 6th century?" 

"By what right do you decide for us? Who made you the leader?" Magus asked pointedly. 

"Actually, we did when we fought Lavos. Orion is quite skilled at deciding how to proceed. That is, when he isn't dead," Prime responded. 

"You...follow him willingly?" 

"Yes. I know he will listen to any suggestions I make and then decide on the best course of action. He also utilizes our skills in the best manner possible," Prime replied solemnly. 

"Prime...can I talk with you privately?" Magus asked. 

Prime drew open the door to Spekkio's room and followed Magus in. 

"Don't...don't leave me with them. I don't...think I can work with them without you there. I don't think they respect me at all," Magus pleaded. 

"Magus, you hurt Alpha intensely when you killed Cyrus and made his life a horror by cursing him. It will take time for him to forgive you enough to try to like you; that is if it happens at all. But, he is honorable a...frog of his word. He has pledged to find and rescue Schala; he was willing to accept back his curse to fulfill that promise. He will work with you and because of his example, Orion will also. As for respect, you wield the strongest single magic we've ever seen but for Lavos. Alpha has been changed entirely by your magic, he certainly respects you," Prime replied. 

"That's not exactly what I mean..." Magus began. 

"I know. Elora and I will be as quick as possible, but take this time to get to know them as allies, not as enemies. When we find your sister and deal with this 'dread lord' we will need to rely on each other. Like it or not, in this venture, Orion and Alpha are your allies," Prime noted. 

"Thanks, Prime. I'll keep that in mind," Magus responded as he exited the room. Prime gazed after him for a moment and then followed. 

Spekkio opened one eye. "Interesting. I'm starting to get a feel for your spirit, robot. I'll give you magic yet!" 

************ 

"What an abhorrent little hovel!" Magus exclaimed as he descended the ladder into Alpha's home. 

Orion bristled in his friend's defense and glanced about the little dwelling. He noticed anew the rustic bed and wooden chest of drawers, the two small presses and the table and chairs. Orion watched as Alpha calmly walked over to the table, struck a spark, lit a taper and circled about lighting the candles and lamps placed about the room. The warm yellow light cheered the underground room immeasurably. 

"Magus," Alpha requested as he knelt to start a fire in the fireplace, "we must needs work together to rescue'eth thy sister. Please keep'eth thine insults to thyself." 

"I suppose it is difficult to find someone willing to sell a home to...well, it's better now that it is lit," Magus offered. 

Orion calmed himself and removed his sword belt and pack as he sat down in one of the chairs. "Okay...Alpha what can I do to help with dinner?" 

"Nothing, 'tis a simple meal I prepare. Why doth not thou and Magus practice thy magic on the hostile creatures to be found in the Lonely Wood?" Alpha replied. "I shall have supper ready by sundown." 

"Makes sense," Orion agreed taking up his sword and pack again. "Coming, Magus?" 

Magus looked about the room one more time, his gaze lingering on the frog's back as Alpha tended the fire, before following Orion up the ladder in silence. 

"As I recall," Orion stated as Magus followed him into a clearing a half an hour later. "You have both strong ice and strong fire spells." 

"Yes," Magus confirmed. 

"Well, Ariel has Ice and Elora Fire and they can...charge my sword so that it becomes an Ice sword or a Fire sword. I'm not sure how they..." 

"How do they target just your sword? I suppose I can figure it out," Magus interrupted. 

Just then four gnawers and two t'poles crashed into the clearing. Orion paused, giving Magus time to incant his Fire spell and took the full force of the spell as it targeted him alone, leaving the gnawer to his left unharmed. 

"What are you doing?!" he roared in pain as he slashed the gnawer through with his sword, the whirl attack he had prepared for the Fire sword now forgotten. 

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to target just a sword?" Magus snarled as he scythed down a t'pole. 

"Yes, I do! I target the Masamune when Alpha and I Spire something!" Orion retorted heatedly. 

"Get ready, then! Incoming!" Magus called as he sent his Fire spell Orion's way again. The spell hit mostly on the sword and Orion whirled taking out the rest of the monsters in his fire-powered attack. 

He looked up balefully at Magus and held up one hand showing Magus his blistered palm. 

"Your hair is on fire, too," Magus noted drily. 

Orion whispered something truly foul as he frantically patted his head to put out the flames. His mood was not helped when he saw Magus smirking at him. 

"You have to give me time. I'm new to combining magic...although your fire sword is quite impressive," Magus admitted. 

"Perhaps we should try a Luminaire scythe next?" Orion asked sweetly acid. 

"No, I think I need to practice Ice and Fire some more, although for training only. I think you and I can devise some devastating Shadow attacks." 

"Uh uh! I'm not taking Shadow hits until you have Ice and Fire perfected first. They hurt enough!" Orion warned. 

"Yes well...the singed hair looks virtually the same but the burn on your face looks...painful. Perhaps we should return to the frog's..." Magus noted Orion's glare as he continued, "...hovel and see if what he concocted is palatable to humans," he finished blithely. 

"Magus..." Orion said in a low tone. 

"Yes?" Magus arched a challenging brow. 

"Forget it," Orion stalked off toward Alpha's home. Magus followed smiling at how easy it was to bait this young man. 

-------------   
Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get! 

stargarde@stargarde.com 


	5. Chapter Five

**Shadows of Schala - Chapter Five**

Elora landed the Wings of Time in front of her house. She dashed in to find the house quiet and empty. Prime pointed to a piece of paper prominently left on the table. 

"Looks like my parents have gone to Porre for the day, visiting relatives no doubt. C'mon, Prime, we have the lab to ourselves," Elora explained reading the note. 

Elora led her giant friend to the lab her father had built over the years. She opened the one tidy cabinet in the chaos of the rest of the room and retrieved an electronic chip. 

"This little chip, I call it an illogic chip, will...well adjust your programming slightly, enabling you to understand absurdities and know contradictory things like Glenn the human becoming Alpha the frog without logic chip overloads," Elora explained lifting the chip up into the light. 

"Indeed," Prime gently took the tiny thing from her, "...but...will I be...me...after you place it in me? Or will I become something else?" 

"Prime...I don't think so. I designed it to augment you, not change or replace you, but I don't know for sure. I don't think it will hurt you but...I don't know exactly..." Elora looked at the chip sparkling in Prime's hand. 

She looked up to her friend's face, the one she had always been able to read the subtlest of expressions on. It always surprised her that no one else seemed to be able to see that Prime had emotions, that Prime himself did not quite know that he did. In his mechanical, green eyes she could see the tiniest flicker of fear. She thought about the trust she was asking Prime to place in her abilities. 

"...if you don't want it you don't have to..." she began. 

Prime considered the tiny thing a moment longer. 

"No, Elora, I trust your skills. I trust you. I'm just...apprehensive. You've helped me already grow beyond what I was designed to be. I don't want to reach for so much I lose what I already have," Prime admitted. In a much lower tone he continued, "Is it going to...hurt? Will I feel...different?" 

"Prime, you know when Orion will do something completely illogical and we laugh about it?" Prime nodded. "You have asked me to explain it to you and I've tried. It's humorous sometimes when someone does or says something that is totally absurd. You know that Glenn and Alpha are the same being and yet you have to rewrite some of your programs in order to accept that fact. In effect you are erasing one aspect of Glenn in order to cope with the change in him. This chip should help you to understand humor, and make some of the concepts we come up against easier for you to deal with. I'd hate to see you fry your chips out trying to cope with something. You mean an awful lot to me," Elora explained. 

"I know, Elora, and it is that, as well as your skill, that I trust in you," Prime stated calmly. 

Elora heard a tiny click from her huge friend and the main access panel in his chest opened up. 

"What should I do?" Prime asked simply. 

"You've...done all you need to," Elora choked out as a fat tear rolled down her cheek. 

"Why are you crying?" Prime asked as he gently wiped it away. 

"I'm...happy that you trust me, and a little...frightened that you trust me so much," Elora admitted. "I know! I know! You don't understand! You will, you will, soon." 

Elora peered into the chamber Prime's access panel had hidden. She traced the layout of the chips and found the empty slot she had remembered. She realized that the Mother Brain who had designed Prime had planned to upgrade him at some future time, or had at least left that option open. Prime had many slots all along his command chip pathways that were unused. Elora checked the connector and reassured herself that her memory had not let her down. 

"This might tingle a little," she warned as she lined the chip up and pushed it firmly into the connector port. 

Instantly Prime jerked as a jolt ran through him. 

"Elora...what's hap-pen-ing...?" Prime spun completely about, shook violently for a minute and crashed to the floor on his back. His eyes dimmed, then went out. 

"Prime!" Elora screamed as she rushed to his side. "What have I done to you?!" 

She searched out his diagnostic readout screen and was relieved to see that it was still lit. She hadn't killed, deactivated, no, dammit, KILLED her friend. 

"'Personality upgrade and overhaul in progress'?" she read. "No! No! 'Estimated time to completion 29 hours 7 minutes. Danger! Attempts to interrupt this process will cause memory erasure.'" Elora sank to her knees on the ground. "Prime, I'm sorry! 'Personality upgrade and overhaul'? What have I done? Have I destroyed all that made you...you?" 

******** 

"Orion! What happened?" Alpha cried as he watched Orion descend the ladder painfully. 

"Our resident mage is not as skilled as he would have us believe in using his magic, although the second attempt was...adequate," Orion explained as Magus followed him. 

"I deserved that," Magus admitted silently to himself. "Needling him when he is hurt." 

Alpha flicked an inscrutable glance from Magus' grim visage to Orion's pained expression. 

"Come," Alpha said. As he reached for Orion's hands he noticed the blisters and grasped his shoulder instead. He seated Orion at the table and pulled up a chair for himself. He looked searchingly in his friend's face. 

"Hands, face, where else?" Alpha asked simply. 

"All over a little," Orion replied. "Our mage may not have control but he does have power!" 

"Full Slurp then. Art thou ready?" 

"Please, Alpha, these burns hurt!" Orion pleaded. 

"One...two...three!" Alpha counted. 

Orion closed his eyes as Alpha hit him square in the face with his tongue. Orion stiffened as the warmth of the healing battled the heat of his burns and won. He grinned as he opened his eyes and noticed the concerned look on his friend's face. 

"I'm fine. Thank you." 

"That is the single most disgusting...ugh!" Magus interjected. 

"Feels a lot better than your burns!" Orion retorted. 

"I hath a vegetable stew for us for supper," Alpha stated diverting the subject. 

Magus found it surprising savory though he refused to admit that to Alpha. Orion tried to keep an easy, free-flowing conversation going but Magus was uncomfortable with small talk and Alpha seemed wrapped up in a private world. 

"Orion, I regret that I am not better company for thee tonight. Mayhap we should simply retire for the night?" Alpha asked finally. 

******** 

Melchior opened his door to the frantic knocking that had interrupted his 'nap'. He had actually been communicating with Gaspar. He barely recognized Elora. He had never seen her so distraught before. 

"Come in! Child, what is it? What happened?" Melchior herded her to a seat before her legs collapsed under her. 

"Guru...I've done..." Elora sniffled. "I've done a terrible thing. I've killed...I've killed Prime!" she wailed out. 

"Elora. Elora!" Melchior shouted. "Calm down! Shh. Tell me what you did." 

Elora got up suddenly and paced about the room. "I arrogantly decided I was going to help Prime. I designed a chip to fit a port I had seen when I repaired him..." 

In between fits of tears Elora explained everything to the Guru of Life. He listened quietly to her explanation along with her self-recriminations. 

"Elora," Melchior smiled suddenly. "There is so much about you that reminds me of...me. You like to tinker, to figure out how things work, how to make them work better. I've always been that way. My tools, as you know, were living beings, Masa and Mune. I had many fears when I enclosed them within the Red Knife of Dreamstone. What if I were wrong and the Mammon Machine would not work with the Dreamstone as I thought it would? What if it would kill them? You know the end of my story and how baseless my fears were." 

He stood up, walked to Elora and grasped her shoulders. "What you do not know yet, little maker, is what happened to your friend. It does not surprise me that a being as complex as Prime could not integrate something as vast as illogic in just a moment or two. His shut down could be a fail-safe to enable his systems to deal with this concept without having to also deal with things like seeing and walking and talking at the same time. You could be right. Prime, as you know him, could be no more. But equally possible, I could be right and he will recover and revive, and your chip will function as you designed it to." 

"Melchior..." Elora began. 

"No. No more talk, no more blame. Go to your friend. Be there when he wakes up. Learn the truth, then come and talk with me," Melchior commanded. 

"I...I will, Melchior. Thank you," Elora gasped as she dashed from the hut. 

"I think I need to take her on as a student," Melchior mused. "Now what were Gaspar and I talking about?" 

******** 

The next week found Orion and Magus fumbling toward cooperative magic. Orion took several more hits of Fire, Ice and even Shadow, and Magus developed a grudging respect for Orion as he took them in silence. Magus discovered he could provoke a bristling reaction, but Orion of himself would let mistakes go without comment. 

More puzzling to Magus was the frog. Alpha remained quiet and subdued, speaking little and initiating nothing, healing Orion when required with a light, delicate touch and honest sympathy. 

"Your turn, Magus," Orion announced as they were attacked by narcotoads. "I'll channel Lightning to your scythe, see how many you can hit!" 

Orion incanted his mid-level Lightning spell and sent the energy arcing toward Magus. Despite his best intentions and his just now discovered tendency to trust Orion, Magus dodged...right into the path of the bolt. 

"Dammit, Magus!" Orion shouted as the bolt dropped Magus to one knee and made a static halo of his hair. "You've got to trust me! I'm not gonna hurt you!" 

Orion drew his sword and slashed a toad attempting to bite the disoriented Magus. Orion put himself between the rest of the toads and the stunned mage. Magus shook off the effect of the Lightning and recovered enough to wade in with his scythe. 

Orion cleaned and sheathed his sword absently after the battle was over and assessed Magus with a concerned gaze. 

"Your right arm took the brunt of that hit, didn't it?" At Magus' nod he continued. "We'd better get Alpha to heal you." 

"Not that damned disgusting Slurp of his!" Magus exclaimed, unaware that Alpha was approaching from behind him. "Orion, that is the grossest...how can you stand it? There has to be a better way..." 

"Magus, Ariel's been kidnapped, I hope by the same villains who have your sister or we may never find her...and Prime is with Elora. Alpha is the only healing we have among the three of us. I want to reserve his more conventional and powerful healing spells for the more serious injuries. You're gonna have to tolerate the Slurp," Orion explained. 

"Just the thought of the frog's tongue touching me..." Magus shuddered. 

Orion saw the hurt look that flashed across Alpha's face. 

"I hath thee to thank that I have the skill at all, Magus. It is fitting thou recieveth the full benefit of it!" Alpha declared from behind Magus. 

Magus whirled. Orion watched as Alpha worked his throat for a moment and stood amazed as abruptly Alpha's tongue shot out glistening wet and surprisingly fast to smack Magus in the center of the face spraying slime everywhere. 

Magus recoiled in surprise and horror. "That burns! Oh..." he exclaimed as the intense heat of the healing passed. 

"It's polite to thank someone who's just healed you," Orion noted laconically, winking to Alpha. 

Magus gaped at him, healed and whole, but dripping with frog slime. 

"Thank him? I'm not going...this is so odious!" Magus stalked off muttering. 

"I didn't know you could do that," Orion noted quietly. 

"I knew it not also. He maketh me so angry; all I desireth to do wast to help and he...he refuseth...Orion," Alpha raised vulnerable eyes to his friend. "The Healing Slurp is not disgusting to thee, is it?" 

"Alpha, your Slurp as you've always used it on me and the others is...strange, but not disgusting. I'll take your healing tongue over injuries any day! What you just did to Magus...now, that was disgusting!" Orion laughed. 

Alpha smiled slightly. "He upset'eth me so much!" 

"Remind me to stay on your good side!" Orion directed between chortles. 

"He doth look so humorous, striving for dignity with all that slime dripping from his hair!" Alpha laughingly admitted. 

********   
Elora lifted her head from her arms as a soft whirring sound woke her. She realized she had fallen asleep at her workbench and hissed as she straightened the kinks out of her back. She tried to figure out why she had stayed down here instead of going to her room, then she remembered Prime. 

Elora glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that the 29 hours, 7 minutes were almost up. The soft hum coming from Prime's inert form was undoubtedly his main power generator coming on line. 

She walked over to her friend and felt deep apprehension. She hoped with all her might that he would be okay, that he would still be Prime. She heard small clicks and hums, the almost musical machine song that Prime's systems played as each system restarted. Mentally she traced the path of energy flowing through his circuits and felt relief when the sound she expected to hear next followed on schedule. She realized the next system to activate would be his consciousness. She swallowed hard. 

"Oh, Prime, please be all right! Please...don't let me have hurt you!" Elora pleaded in a whisper. 

The final click Elora anticipated sounded, then unexpectedly sounded again. Abruptly Prime's photoelectric eyes flashed, his front panel closed, and he vaulted upright in a surprisingly fluid move. 

He spun tightly on one heel for no reason that Elora could fathom and stopped, facing her. His huge hands closed about her shoulders and he picked her up roughly. 

"Gwee-no-nwi-dip-da-da?" he asked her intently. 

"What?" Elora's eyes filled with tears. "Prime, I can't understand you...and you're hurting me! Oh, I have destroyed you after all!" 

The robot had her in an uncomfortable position, dangling her several feet above the floor and his grip on her shoulders was crushingly tight. Elora found that she didn't care if he killed her, so great was her guilt, and her tears spilled over blurring her vision. Through her tears Elora could have sworn that she saw Prime's eyes flash. 

"E...lorrra," Prime rumbled. "Elora. Elora, what's wrong? Wait, I'm replaying my audio record from when I was inactive...I see. You thought that you had erased me while my systems were reintegrating my personality." 

"Prime! Are you...still...you?" Elora cried out. 

"Elora," Prime's voice held a soft modulation that was new. "I am perfectly all right and I am still me. I remember everything that we have accomplished and everything that had been important to me still is. Oh! I shouldn't be holding you this tightly!" 

Prime placed Elora on her feet roughly and then held up a warning hand. Elora heard a few high pitched whines and chatters from inside him and then Prime lifted her up again much more gently. 

"Obviously a few of my modified settings were reset to standard parameters. I have adjusted them back to the settings I prefer," Prime explained. "Now, why were you so worried?" 

"Prime, when you crashed, when your systems went down, I thought I had made a terrible mistake, one that cost you your life. When you...reactivated and seemed so...strange and then brutal, I thought you were gone...dead..." Elora's face twisted up into tears again. 

Prime drew her closer to him and cradled her gently on one massive metal shoulder. 

"Elora, I am fine, better even than before," Prime told her softly. "You did not harm me, in fact, your chip is a marvelous invention! My system had to reset so that I could review my memories in light of the new information, the new viewpoint the chip enables me to see. I know that Glenn is Alpha, that a human being is changed in form, by magic into a bipedal frog. My logic chip now has no strain from this knowledge. It will take me some time to adjust to its effects, but I am so glad you invented it. So pleased that I decided to trust you and try it! You, my dear friend, are a genius!" Prime enthused. 

"I'm just very lucky and so relieved that you are okay. Prime, when I thought I had...killed you, I went to see Melchior. He told me to come back and find out for certain what I had done to you. I'd like to see him and tell him I was wrong, that you are fine," Elora asked. 

"By all means! Can't leave the guru thinking something that's not true," Prime agreed. "I'll come with you. Then we should meet up with the guys and make certain that Alpha and Orion haven't killed Magus. Or vice versa." 

Melchior was unsurprised that Prime was okay. He indicated to Prime outside of Elora's hearing that after her frantic visit he had checked with Gaspar and knew that Prime would be all right. He also approved of the way Elora's chip was functioning, as he could see the modification it made in Prime's personality. Finally, he told them to let an old man get his rest and urged them on to the Middle Ages. 

******** 

The next few days were a particular type of torture for Magus. His difficulty trusting Orion to miss him and hit only his scythe caused him to take several lightning bolts requiring healing. Each time, Alpha made sure it was a wet, sloppy mess and by contrast Slurped Orion with the lightest and driest of touches. Magus was ready to tear his blue locks out by the roots by the week's end. 

"Oh! This is so...revolting!" Magus claimed as Alpha tagged him spreading slime all over Magus's face and hair. Magus charged off, pushing rudely past Elora on his way to the stream he used to clean up after Alpha Slurped him. 

"Hi guys. What was that all about?" Elora asked, indicating Magus' retreating back with a casual gesture. 

"Nothing. He just doesn't like Alpha's Slurp," Orion dead-panned. 

"Why not?" Elora demanded. "Alpha's very gentle!" 

"To you, yes. To me, yes. To Magus...not on your life! And Magus deserves it. Stick around and you'll see," Orion advised. "How did everything go?" 

"Oh, you know how it is, my inventions always have unexpected quirks," Elora replied casually. "This time I had to scare myself that I had killed Prime, but it works. Prime likes it. You know, he confided in me that the logic chip overloads felt to him like he expects headaches feel to us. He's grateful that they're over." 

Prime walked up to Elora with one hand behind his back. He brought it forward at the questioning look on Elora's face to reveal a bunch of wildflowers. Orion burst out laughing at the amazement on Elora's face. 

"I just wanted to say thank you, Elora," Prime said solemnly as Elora took the flowers. He bowed slightly and then walked off. 

"It should be interesting watching how he uses the illogic you've given him, Elora," Orion smiled. 

"Uh, huh," Elora agreed absently. "You know, Orion, I'm glad to be with all of you again and all but I haven't slept well and I'm beat. I'm going to go grab a nap, okay?" 

Prime sought out Magus next and found him by the side of a clear bubbling stream. Magus was trying to skip stones across to the other side. Prime watched him for a moment, reached down and selected a flat stone and skipped it to the other bank. 

"Well done!" Magus cheered. 

"Thank you. How has it been for you? I remember from our conversation at the End of Time; you were quite apprehensive," Prime asked. 

"Orion and I have gotten on fairly well; he is really not so bad and nowhere near as pompous as I had assumed. Alpha...avoids me. Unless I need healing, he's nowhere to be found. Frankly, I wish he couldn't be found when I do need healing," Magus muttered. 

"Strange. I would have thought that you and Alpha would make the first connections and his maturity would help Orion to accept you. It seems I was in error assessing his emotional response to you," Prime remarked. 

"Now that you are here things might come together more easily. At least I will not be smacked with that revolting Slurp again!" 

Prime spoke longer with Magus, judging how far Magus had progressed in combining his magic. He noticed the lengthening of the shadows and, consulting his internal chronometer, decided to find Alpha before full dark. 

Alpha was in the woods, apart from everyone else. His position allowed him to see both Magus at the stream and Orion in the clearing outside of Alpha's pad. 

"Well met, my friend. Thou appear'eth to be none the worse for wear from Elora's ministrations," Alpha greeted him. 

Prime looked at his friend with the new sensitivity his illogic chip gave him. He noticed an uncharacteristic lack of precision to Alpha's movements. Alpha's bearing seemed more subdued than usual as well. Finally, Prime realized that Alpha had not looked him in the eye. He found that missing directness the most distressing aspect of his friend. He tentatively diagnosed Alpha's condition as melancholy. 

"Alpha, what troubles you?" Prime asked simply. 

Prime found with his new perceptions he could read the bittersweet smile on Alpha's frog-like features. Alpha shrugged. 

"Naught. And all. I am again...this," Alpha gestured toward himself. "The life I had built here, my place as Cyril in Guardia's court, the friendships I hath here, art dust in the winds of Time. When this quest is o'er, thou and all the rest must return'eth to thine own times, leaving me thus, alone, to build again. 'Tis hard to take." 

Alpha stalked toward a small tree wheeled and stalked back. Prime allowed himself the fanciful notion that he saw fire in his friend's eyes. 

"And for what?" Alpha locked that burning gaze on Prime. "For the life of one who despiseth me. I am only what he himself wrought!" 

Alpha wheeled again and stood with his back toward Prime. The robot could sense a strange charge in the clearing as the knight tried to control his feelings. He placed his hand gently on the tense shoulder before him. 

"Alpha, none of us can claim to understand your pain. None of us knows how to help you. You have taken on a burden we cannot even imagine. What can we, can I, do to help you? What must you do to find peace?" Prime found himself asking. 

Alpha turned and regarded the robot through inscrutable golden eyes. He took a deep breath and some of the tension eased from him. 

"I know'eth not, Prime. I wonder if I know what peace is anymore. I thought I hath found it, as Cyril, found a place where I couldst aid my king and queen, but now..." Alpha shrugged, as much as his frog form allowed. "Think'eth not on it, my friend. Thou seem'eth different to me. Elora's chip work'eth as she hath wished?" 

"Yes, after frightening the wits out of her first. She is at your home sleeping. For me, it was over quickly, but for her it was an ordeal," Prime admitted. "It's getting dark. I am returning to your house now. You might want to return, too." 

Alpha watched as Prime walked off. He noticed that Prime moved more quietly and thought back to the extraordinary conversation he had just had with the robot. No one else had mentioned or seemed to notice his despair. Alpha acknowledged Elora's genius and wished that there was something she could do to help him regain his once again lost humanity. 

"If wishes wert horses, frogs wouldst ride," he said softly to himself. He slowly returned to his house. 

Alpha entered to find Orion, Prime and Magus holding a subdued conversation. Elora lay on his bed, her helmet and glasses on the bedside table. Alpha walked over and drew a blanket over her shoulders and looked searchingly into her sleeping face. 

"She be a mechanical genius and mine affliction be magical in origin," Alpha thought to himself. 

He walked over to the cooking fire and retrieved the stew pot. Silently he portioned it into bowls and served his friends. After he had finished his meal he cleaned up the pot and bowls and curled up in a blanket in a far corner of the room. Orion, Magus and Prime continued their conversation a while longer and then also prepared for sleep. 

An hour or so passed. Alpha tossed fitfully on the blanket on the floor. He turned again fussing in his sleep. Magus noted his restlessness but held himself quiet, feigning sleep. 

Finally, so swiftly and silently that Magus almost jumped himself in surprise, Alpha jumped up and then took an incredible leap past the ladder into his home, out into the night air. 

Assuring himself that Orion, Elora and Prime slept on, Magus crept to the top of the ladder and eavesdropped on the agitated frog. 

"Leene, dear Leene, how canst I fulfill my vow to Cyrus to guard thee when I am again...?" Alpha asked fiercely. 

Magus heard Alpha pace about the small clearing and risked poking his head out the hole. 

"I held such simple dreams...be Cyrus' squire, one day mayhap find one...one who...phah!" Alpha stooped and grabbed up a dead branch. He broke it into pieces as he slumped dejectedly to the ground. 

"Now...I am again...this," his voice sunk to a hoarse whisper. "A mage's jest...a pathetic monster...how, how canst I be..._this_ again?" 

I refuse to feel guilty!" Magus thought furiously to himself, "Play with fire and get burned! No matter how hard he tries..." Magus suddenly realized that Alpha could not know he was listening and so could not be trying to make Magus feel anything. 

Magus cast his memory back to that moment on the Denadoro Mountain. He had felt drunk with power. The dreaded Masamune he had sundered with a bolt of pure magic; his implacable foe, Cyrus, lay dead at his feet; and Cyrus' squire, Glenn, crouched before him in disbelieving, anguished amazement. He remembered Ozzie urging him on and then the rush of shaping his power to curse the pitiful squire into a frog. 

He had fully expected Glenn to perish in that unfamiliar form on that dangerous mountain, and returned to plotting his conquest of Lavos. His surprise when Glenn, wielding the Masamune, had shown up in frog form to thwart his plan had been absolute. 

He considered for a moment about how tragic Glenn's life must have been since that meeting on the mountain. A new feeling stole into his heart. He felt shame. 

Alpha tossed the branch bits over his shoulder and stood up. He brushed himself off saying, "Peace? How can one such as I find'eth peace in this time or any other? But...I am a useless, crippled thing 'til I do..." 

Magus silently scurried down to his makeshift bed an instant before Alpha descended the ladder. He closed his eyes and forced his breathing into the slow pattern of sleep, but listened intently as Alpha moved almost silently about the room. 

Alpha listened to the quiet rhythms of his sleeping friends and wondered at the distance he felt from them. He realized the distance was not in his friends, it was in him. He looked over at Prime and saw that his eyes were dimmed; Prime was still in an energy-conserving sleep mode. 

Alpha penned a quick note, left it on the central table, gathered his sword and gear and climbed the ladder. He looked up at the moon set and remembered the morning of his dual knighting and the respect and friendship shown by the King, Queen, Chancellor, Knight Captain and even the Cook. Shaking his head ruefully for the friendships that could now never be, he set out. 

Magus watched as the frog looked carefully about the room, rose, wrote his note and left. One aspect of his childhood as raised by Ozzie was an incredibly developed sense of night vision. Constant exposure to the cruel tricks imps liked to play had fostered that. After Alpha had left, Magus glided to the table and read the letter. 

He put his head back in thought for a moment, bared his teeth in irritation, scribbled a few sentences on Alpha's note, grabbed his gear and floated out next to the ladder. After his silent departure, the room lay in peace as everyone else slept on. 

-------------   
Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get! 

stargarde@stargarde.com 


	6. Chapter Six

Author's note - 

I appreciate all the reviews. I'm pleased that people are reading my story and liking it enough to post reviews. Thank you, everyone! ^_^ 

About the names...I tried to explain it at the beginning. My main reason for changing the names is I could not abide having two characters named 'Frog' and 'Robo'. That is what each _is_, not a name! That would be like having a character named 'Boy' or 'Girl'. Since the game itself allowed you to change the name of not only the main character (which is pretty standard) but any playable character, I used that option when I wrote my story. 

I do know it can be a bit confusing at first. But as a few people have mentioned, after only a moment, one can get used to it. 

I know I am losing readers and reviews because of the fact that I changed the names. While I do write to share my stories with others, I feel that if someone is so distressed by it that they can't get used to it, they probably shouldn't be reading this story anyway. It's going to change and challenge a lot more than the characters' names by the end! ^_~ 

I guess I thought more readers would have the mental flexibility necessary to cope with the change in names. 

For those readers who can't get used to the names: My deepest apologies. I am sorry for taking your time. 

For those readers who can get used to the names: Thank you! Please, read on and enjoy! ^_^ 

**Shadows of Schala - Chapter Six**

Orion was the first to awaken the next morning. He quickly spied the note and after reading it, was equally quick to shake his other friends awake 

"C'mon, Elora, you've slept enough! Prime, wake up, we got trouble!" 

"What? What is wrong, Orion?" Prime asked, waking faster than Elora. 

Orion handed Prime the note. 

"All,   
Thou art good and true, finer friends one couldst ne'er have. I loseth mine edge, my faith in myself hath been rattled. I find I think of who I hath been, Glenn, Cyril, and the pain wash'eth over me. Magus revileth me and I cannot work with him. Magus is needed to find'eth Schala and Ariel; I am not. I doth not desire to jeopardize thy chances to saveth them. I canst not help the team. Prime ask'eth me last night what I must do to find'eth peace. I found'eth my peace once, I shall strive to do so again. If I can in time to help thee, I shall return. If not, thou all hath been more true friends than I e'er deserveth, and the most true I hath seen, but for Cyrus. 

Alpha 

Orion,   
I don't know where Sir Froggy goes at this hour of the night, but given this note and his state of mind the past few days, someone needs to watch him. Trust this to be the one night I have insomnia! Gaspar said we had time, so I'll follow him. I know you are used to giving orders; show you can also take them. Give me a week to find him and bring him back. You guys stay there, otherwise we'll be split into little groups wandering the country-side. I think it's time the frog and I talked over what happened and what I did to him. Stay out of it, Orion! If we aren't back in a week, look for us in the Denadoro Mountains. 

Magus" 

"Magus is right," Prime declared handing the note to Elora. 

"Who knows what Magus will do to Alpha! Or what Alpha will do to Magus! We can't just sit around..." Orion began heatedly. 

"We must, Orion," Elora said gently after reading the note. 

"They are the ones who will come back to this time when this is all over. They have to learn to live with each other, with what Magus did to Alpha when he cursed him and what Alpha did to Magus when he killed him, even though that was undone. I didn't see Alpha yesterday, but this note does not sound like the confident Hero Alpha became or the Knight of Guardia that Glenn was. Accept it, Orion. He's your friend, he's mine, too, but there are some things a friend can't help with. The situation between Alpha and Magus is one of those things," Elora continued. 

"Orion, Magus is concerned that Alpha has been avoiding him. Alpha is concerned that his antipathy will doom our efforts to save Schala and Ariel. Alpha knows how important Magus is to that goal; Magus knows how much he hurt Alpha already. They won't risk harming each other. Let's wait the week Magus asks us for and if they do not return, then we will search for them," Prime advised. 

"First Ariel, now Alpha and Magus. Under it all the Chrono-wave destroying Guardia's future and all of it linking to Schala! I'm so tired of feeling helpless!" Orion raged. 

"We know, Orion. We feel it, too," Prime agreed quietly. 

******** 

Alpha considered the three places he felt he had to go on his quest for his elusive peace. He decided that the furthest one out was the one that would pain him the least. Cyrus' death had been more than ten years before and the ache was a familiar hurt. 

Magus was amazed at the swift pace Alpha set and maintained. He had always thought that frogs were slow, ungainly creatures. Alpha's speed and quiet movements through the forest forced him to recognize that Alpha was not just a frog. He began to wonder what Glenn had been like before he had cursed him. He remembered the enormous green eyes, filled with grief, that had confronted him over Cyrus' body...and the fear in those same eyes as his transformation spell took hold. He realized that the green of Glenn's eyes were what had prompted him to turn the hapless squire into a frog. His only other impression of the uncursed Glenn were of an earnest, gangly seventeen year old. Cyrus had the bearing and presence of a full knight, but Glenn had still had the rawness of youth about him. 

"He had not been someone I would have wanted to harm," Magus realized, "True, Cyrus kept getting in my way, and he was Cyrus' squire, but he probably would have just run away if I had left him alone. Ozzie..." 

The tangled feelings that thoughts of Ozzie always brought rose in him again. Ozzie had found him after Lavos had dumped him through a Time Gate that separated him from his time, his mother and, most importantly to him, his sister. If Ozzie had not rescued him, he would have been killed. 

"But...Ozzie is the one who recognized the incredible potential for magic that I had...and used it for his own twisted ends. I wanted to please him...but I also wanted to be free of him. It's probably because of him that I have such a hard time trusting and cooperating with others with my magic..." 

"I had never thought to curse a human into something else. Ozzie confused me so much as to who and what I really was...was I human or Mystic or a little of both?" Magus pondered as he rested his scythe against a tree. 

"Schala, if you could see me now; if you could see what your little brother has become, would you be pleased...or would you hate me? I have done some vile, evil things..." 

Magus listened intently and realized that Alpha had moved beyond the range of his hearing. He grasped up his scythe and hurried to catch up. 

Alpha's mind wandered even as his feet carried him unerringly toward the Hero's Grave. He remembered Cyrus chasing off the cruel children who teased him; the respect and friendship Cyrus had always shown him even though Glenn had been younger; Cyrus dragging him along to his lessons in sword craft, and the generosity Cyrus had shown when Glenn had proven to be more skillful. 

He recalled the one wonderful summer when he had been Cyrus' squire; Cyrus' entry into the Queen's Tourney; and Cyrus' elevation to Captain of the Knights of the Square Table. He fondly called to mind the successful fight with the Frog King for the Hero's Medal and the victory Cyrus gained over the twins Masa and Mune to win the Hero's Sword. He had believed his friend to be the most wonderful knight in the kingdom, following a call that was just and pure. He had been convinced that Cyrus could not be defeated. Then came Magus. 

The last memory Alpha had of Cyrus in action was the heroic, doomed charge Cyrus had made on Magus to buy Glenn time to escape. Burned into his mind's eye was the image of Cyrus, features ruined by magic, lying amid the shards of the sundered Masamune, begging Glenn to guard Queen Leene as he died in his arms. His grief had blinded him to his own danger; he had disregarded Ozzie's cruel teasing until Magus blasted him with magic. 

The pain that had burned through him had felt like death and he had welcomed oblivion as he fell off the cliff. He had hoped to see Cyrus again, two friends slain by the same foe, but Magus had not struck him with killing magic. 

He woke in an altered form, but the memory of the death of his friend hurt more than the pain of his transformation. He had opened his new, golden eyes to see the Hero Medal glinting up at him. 

Alpha sighed and pulled the Hero Medal up from the front of his tunic. He regarded its gleaming silver surface and reflected that the pain of Cyrus' death, more than ten years in the past, had not really diminished. In an obscure way he felt comforted that his friend's tragic end still hurt as much as it ever did; it showed that Cyrus still mattered to him. 

He looked up and realized that the gates of the Hero's Grave stood before him. He took up his courage and walked in. Magus waited a few moments and then silently followed. 

Alpha walked down the staircase to the chamber where the Grave actually lay. He walked up and placed his webbed hand upon the cool headstone. Magus sidled in and concealed himself behind a pillar. 

"'Tis I, Cyrus," Alpha began, "One time when I came here, thou rose up in spirit from thy grave, enjoined me to guard Queen Leene, reassured thyself that I hadst survived and left for thy well-deserveth peace. Not once didst thou mention that I wast a frog! Can it be that thou didst not notice? Thou didst giveth me faith in myself, claiming that I wast a Hero. I hath lost that faith again, my friend. I hadst reclaimed my humanity, honored thy wish to guard the queen, and madeth a life for myself at Guardia Castle. But a new danger threaten'eth our queen, as well as dear friends not yet born and to save them I hadst to become again...a frog..." Alpha's voice failed. 

"I am...not as much a Hero as I need'eth to be. The one I took this curse back to save...despiseth me. I canst not work with him to save his sister and Leene and Ariel...Forgiveth me, Cyrus! Thy death wast only to save a forsworn knave!" Alpha choked out. 

Magus was an unwilling observer to the deepest grief he had ever witnessed. He could not leave without betraying his presence to the distressed frog, but he could barely stand overhearing such a private sorrow. He thankfully stretched cramping legs when Alpha finally slipped into an exhausted sleep. He peered around the column he had hidden behind and almost bolted for the door. 

He recognized the Spirit that pulled a cloak over the sleeping frog. The burning hatred in the gaze of Cyrus' Ghost froze him where he stood with an irresistible power as he was recognized in turn. The Ghost floated over, his spectral armor silent as the grave. Cyrus circled Magus once burning his very soul with that potent, reproachful stare. 

Magus could sense the meaning of the Specter's attack without words. Cyrus hated him not only for his own death, but more so for the anguish Magus had caused in Glenn's life, most recently for the self-assurance Alpha had lost. Magus could also sense the frustration Cyrus felt in not being able to drag him forcefully to his own death and a long overdue accounting, even though he possessed that power. He realized that Cyrus somehow knew something of the mission they were on. 

"You hate me, you have every reason to, but Schala did nothing to you and if I know her at all, respects Alpha. If you know anything, tell me! I'll even come back here and submit to you once we rescue her..." Magus promised rashly. 

The Spectral Knight seared into Magus' soul with the burning gaze again. Magus tried not to fight the Ghost's probing as that spectral stare sought for something. Finally, Cyrus looked him in the eyes. Magus flinched. 

"Fear'eth me; thou should. Evil maketh its own doom. Tell Glenn nothing of me or I shall hound thee to the end of thy days. Keep'eth thy vow to return here; accept a Geas and I can giveth thee a clue. The Geas' penalty, madness and death. Return'eth here...and I canst levy a final accounting from thee." The Ghost's bloodless voice chilled the chamber with the presence and promise of death. 

Magus considered. His soul had been burned already by Cyrus' hatred, enough for him to know that the full force of it would kill him. To accept the clue and the Geas would mean madness and death if he did not return after they had rescued Schala. It was a deal that would mean his doom either way, and Magus was tempted to laugh and tell the Ghost to go back to hell, but for two things. 

First, he could sense somehow that without the Ghost's clue, they would never find Schala. Second, he felt the guilt that was late in coming for Cyrus' death and the malign effect he had had in Alpha's life. He knew that the guilt would eventually drive him mad anyway. Better to accept death at the Ghost's hand than to go mad and hurt who knows who else before dying anyway. 

"Give me...give me a week after we rescue Schala to return to you here," Magus asked quietly. "And I accept your Geas." 

The Ghost's visor closed and he gazed searchingly at the mage again. 

"Thou may'eth have two weeks," he replied as he floated back to Alpha's side. "Tell'eth no one about me. Grieveth Glenn no more. Set'eth thine affairs in order ere thou return'eth here!" Cyrus warned. A red haze grew around the Ghost and then reached eerie tentacles of force toward Magus. He stood still and bowed his head as the Ghost's Geas wrapped itself around him. He felt the doom it promised uncurl within his soul. 

Magus looked up as the Ghost's aspect changed. A soft golden aura now suffused his ethereal form and Magus sensed a gentle, kindly solicitousness from the fearsome Specter as he hovered near Alpha's sleeping figure. 

"Faith, my friend. All thou hath e'er needed, all thou shall e'er need art already within thee!" Cyrus touched Alpha on the head and the glow flowed down his hand and into the Frog Knight. "Thou need'eth only to remember that!" 

Magus watched as Alpha straightened from his almost fetal curl of grief and took on a more heroic bearing even in his sleep. The Ghost cast one last lingering glance his way, reminding him of his Geas, and floated up through the ceiling. Magus pulled his own cloak around him and wondered how he was going to recognize Cyrus' clue. 

"Search for Schala in Shadow," echoed Cyrus' voice through his burial chamber. 

Magus pondered the meaning of that as he guarded the sleeping frog. 

******** 

Alpha woke and remembered the wracking sorrow that had claimed him. He felt a little surprised at the sense of well-being that he felt, but reasoned that remembering Cyrus' forgiveness had brought some measure of peace to his tortured soul. He gathered his cloak and sword, saluted Cyrus' Grave with the Masamune, squared his shoulders and set off for his second difficult destination---Guardia Castle. 

Magus, hidden within the trunk of a tree, watched as Alpha departed the Hero's Grave. He marveled at how heroic Alpha appeared to him now, a remnant of Cyrus' golden aura clung to Alpha's frog-like features. He watched as Alpha set a rapid pace through the woods. Once the Frog Knight was just at the edge of his hearing, Magus stepped forth from the trunk of the oak he was hiding in and followed. 

Alpha remained wrapped up in fond memories of his friend but they only strengthened his sense of self worth and did not distress him as before. Each memory that he called to mind served to show him a positive aspect of himself that he never noticed, until now. He had always known that he had not run when urged to by Cyrus out of a paralyzing fear; he now admitted to himself that it was fear for Cyrus and not himself. He had known that Cyrus was over-matched by Magus during that final fight. 

He thought of how Magus despised him and his abilities, especially the Slurp Heal. Alpha also recalled how often Orion begged him to use the same ability to heal him from injury. He concluded that Orion was the more mature of the two; suffering for pride was stupid. Alpha resolved to continue using his Slurp on Magus, whether Magus liked it or not...and if Magus didn't like it...well, that could be a small, sweet revenge. Alpha grinned. 

"That is a smile I've seen on Cyrus' face!" Magus exclaimed to himself. "Slash regretted the results of that smile, if memory serves. What did Cyrus do to Alpha?" Magus wondered, staring at the subtle golden glow. 

Alpha stayed to the woods as he neared Guardia Castle. He did not want the pain of being recognized as the Queen's weird, frog-thing guard, which is how he knew some of the guards thought of him. He also knew that they did not trust him, they thought that since he wore a monster's form, he himself must be a monster. That he did nothing monstrous only convinced them that he was merely biding his time. 

He waited until the uncertain light of dusk covered his advance and quietly entered the castle through a hidden door. Magus waited as long as he dared and then followed Alpha. 

Magus marveled at the network of hidden passages in Guardia Castle; it reminded him of the one in his own castle. He silently followed Alpha through the maze even as he wondered at Alpha's knowledge of it. None of Magus' spies from when he had the Queen kidnapped had even known of the secret passageways' existence. He sensed Alpha stop and heard a slight scraping noise. Magus turned down a side passage, moved aside a small shutter and peered into the room thus revealed. 

Queen Leene wished a soft good-night to her two ladies-in-waiting and closed the chamber door after them. She sighed deeply as she stretched and eased the tension out of her shoulders. Taking up a small book, she crossed to a chair near the fire and curled up to read. 

A sharp noise rang out in the silence of the room, as if something had crashed behind the wall across from Magus' hiding place. 

"Who's there?!" Leene cried out in alarm, fixing her eyes on the hidden panel. Magus realized that Leene knew that there were hidden passageways around her room. 

The panel clicked, swung open and Alpha stepped through. 

"Tis only I, my lady, I didst not mean to startle thee!" the Frog Knight inscribed a courtly bow. 

Leene rushed to his side to greet him with a sincere, welcoming smile. 

"Alpha! Where have you been..." Magus saw clearly the lost, confused look on Leene's features the moment before she covered her face with her hands and sank to the floor with a low moan. 

"My queen, what...?" Alpha dropped to his knees and tried to aid the stricken woman. 

"Alpha...but, you are...can't be here...too many memories...this is all wrong...this hasn't happened...can't be happening...Cyril?...Glenn?...Alpha, you...you are..." the queen looked up, tears streaming down a face that was a mask of tortured confusion. "Help me?" She slumped over in a dead faint. 

Alpha gasped and gathered Leene into his arms. His tears flowed as he talked softly to the unconscious woman. 

"I shouldst not hath come! I shouldst hath realized that thou...wouldst be partially immune to the changes in Time wrought by Magus'...non-death. I myself told thee of Lavos, and Time Travel...and thou hadst divined my true self..." Alpha rose and carried Leene to her bed. 

"As Schala's descendant, thou must also haveth more of the capacity for magic than is normal. I shouldst never had let thee see me! Thou must sense, and remember, all that I hath been, before Magus' death wast undone; yet thy memories tell thee that I hath been only thy frog retainer the whole time," Alpha pulled an embroidered coverlet over the queen. 

"Oh, Leene, 'tis too much! I must not let thee see'eth me again! Apart from thee and a very few in this castle, there are none here in this time who wouldst call me friend! But, I canst not bring thee such anguish as my presence wouldst cause. 'Twould break'eth mine heart to giveth thee pain just to avoid loneliness..." 

Magus noted that the golden glow, that Alpha seemed not to notice, dimmed and then brightened. 

"I am sworn to guard thee; guard thee I shall. Thou must not behold me again, but I canst watch over thee. Once I hath safe-guarded thy place in the time stream by rescuing Schala, I shall return here! Thou never need know that I guard thee..." Alpha vowed to the sleeping queen. "I shall spend my life in thy service, thou need'eth not know or see me for me to protect thee." 

Alpha spent a moment to reassure himself that Leene was physically okay. He brushed her fair hair out of her face and prompted by some impulse, leaned down and kissed her cheek. Tears rose again in his golden eyes as he laid one hand tenderly along the side of her face. 

"Dear Leene, ever-watchful, but ever-unseen, I remain not only thy faithful subject...but also thy friend! I only hope that thou forget'eth having seen me this night...only hold the memories that trouble thee not in this altered time stream...and wonder why I hath abandoned thee...for that is how it shall seem to thee..." 

Over-wrought, Alpha turned and without looking back entered the secret passage and closed it behind him. Magus carefully slid the shutter back to the way he found it and prepared to follow Alpha. 

A red haze rose up before his vision and Magus felt the Geas stir within him. He felt the will of Cyrus bear down on him as he strove to contain his pain without a sound. After a moment he sensed that Cyrus wanted him to help Leene. Unsure of what he could do to help, Magus slid open the panel and entered the Queen's chamber. 

He stole softly over and looked down into Leene's face. He noticed lines of distress around her eyes and realized that Alpha's fervent wish that Leene not remember their meeting was not to be---unless he did something. Magus was disconcerted by how much Leene resembled Schala, a fact he had never noted before. Of course, he had never been this close to her before either. 

His thought of Schala pointed out a way he could help Leene. He fumbled in his pouch and drew out a small vial of a sky-blue liquid. He looked about the chamber and found a forgotten cup of tea. The warmth of the cup told him that Leene had been drinking it before Alpha and he had come to spy on her. He poured his potion into the tea and placed the cup on the table by the queen's bed. 

Gathering his wits and wishing that Cyrus would ease up yanking on his Geas now that he was doing the Ghost's will, Magus shook Leene by the shoulder until she roused. 

Her eyes opened and alarm displaced the strain from her face. Magus clasped one hand over her mouth to prevent her scream and held her tightly against his side. 

"My...queen, yes, I am Magus, but I am not here to harm you. In fact, I want to help you with the confusion and pain that you feel from having seen Alpha this evening," Magus whispered intently to the frightened woman. He felt a blessed relief in his soul and realized that Cyrus had stopped pulling on his Geas. 

He saw Leene's eyes widen in surprise and felt her ease in his arms. 

"You won't scream?" he asked her. 

She shook her head "no", and Magus read the truth of that response in her eyes. Gently, he lifted his hand from her mouth, and set her free, but for one hand he kept to check her if she tried to run. 

"Magus! What are you doing here? How is it that I think of Cyrus when I see you?" Leene gasped out. 

"My...lady, I can't talk about that. Please...trust that I do not intend to harm you...I know you have no reason to trust me...but I know that you have too many memories, ones that don't make any sense...about Alpha. I can help you. I must help you! Please, trust me?" Magus pleaded. 

"You...have been monstrously evil to this kingdom, my husband and me...but...now that I see you in person...you don't strike me as evil. In fact, I feel...almost a kinship with you. Why would I? That makes no sense..." Magus all but gasped as he saw the faintest outline of Cyrus' Ghost take shape behind the queen and grasp her shoulders. Leene eerily reinforced the image by hugging her shoulders. 

"I feel half-insane with too many memories that make no sense...I sense no hostility from you...it feels...right?...to accept whatever help you can offer me..." Leene struggled to explain. Magus was certain that the Ghost knew what he intended and was influencing the queen to accept his aid. 

"Leene, someday perhaps you will understand the feeling of kinship; I feel it too, but I know why...I truly mean you no harm. Please, only drink this, lie down and listen to what I say and your memories of Alpha will again make sense and trouble you no more," Magus requested. 

Leene looked deep into his eyes with her clear blue gaze. Magus, convinced of the rightness of what he intended to do, returned it unflinchingly. Leene nodded, took the cup and drained it. 

Magus watched as the potent sleep potion began to take effect and pushed her gently down onto her bed. She struggled a little, almost reflexively. To reassure her, Magus took one cold hand into his warm ones and stroked it. 

"My lady, for now, know that I respect you, and honor you, and wish fervently that I had never imperiled you in my bid for power. I am most sorry for the trouble I have brought to your life. The potion you so bravely drank will only make you sleep, a deep sleep that should erase all strain and grief; but before you sleep you will listen and probably believe what I tell you and do what I say." 

Magus kept his tone soft and mild, and watched the drugged queen to gauge her reaction to his words. The gentle stroking of her hand seemed to reassure her. Magus gathered his thoughts, he had never tried to use this potion this way before, but a memory of Schala from his childhood prompted this experiment. 

"First, you will not remember this meeting or me, I am only your own mind voice. When you wake, you will remember Magus as you always had before this night, as the...villain who attacked your kingdom, had you kidnapped and injured your husband. Second, you will remember Alpha as he has always been; your faithful guard and good friend. You will feel no worry or anxiety about him; you know that he will return to you when you have need of him. The feelings that you will have when you see him are good ones that will cause you no pain. Finally, you will remember Cyrus..." Magus felt a tug on his Geas at this but finished his order in spite of it, "...you will remember Cyrus as your faithful friend and excellent knight, one who would reach beyond his own death to help you if he could." 

Magus felt a surge of warmth from his Geas. "Got you there, didn't I, Cyrus?" he gloated inside, "Maybe I'm not quite the villain everyone takes me for anymore! Even if I know that I am..." 

"Leene, you dismissed your attendants, curled up and read part of your book. You stopped reading to think fondly of Alpha and because of that remembered Cyrus. You felt tired, drank your tea and went to bed. You will wake tomorrow refreshed and happy and you will remember Magus, Alpha and Cyrus only in the ways I told you. _'Your inner voice quiets and worries slip away; sleep and dream, Leene, wake to the dawn of the new day.'_" 

Leene's eyes closed and her breathing slowed to the pattern of sleep as Magus' sleep spell took effect. Magus could see that the lines of strain around her eyes had gone. As Alpha had before him, he pulled the cover over her. Asleep, she reminded him even more strongly of Schala. He felt a rush of tenderness for this woman who was, after all, family. Knowing the chance would never come again, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. 

"Good-bye, Leene," he whispered. He turned, entered the secret passage and closed the panel behind him. 

"Alpha is long gone," Magus thought to himself, "I wonder where he going to go now?" 

The Ghost's Geas tugged sharply once and Magus thought of the Denadoro Mountains. 

"I wish you'd find a better way to let me know these things," Magus complained to the unseen Ghost, "That really hurts!" 

-------------   
Author's notes - 

I haven't seen the word 'geas' in a dictionary, but I have run across it in D&D and some fantasy stories. It is halfway between a magic oath and a curse, where breaking the geas carries severe consequences, madness and death. 

Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get! 

stargarde@stargarde.com   



	7. Chapter Seven

**Shadows of Schala - Chapter Seven**

Alpha found his steps slowing as he neared the base of the Denadoro Mountains. So much had happened to him here! He thought again of that fate-filled day when Cyrus and he had climbed this very mountain and Magus had so drastically changed his life. 

A tree marked the entrance to the glen he had woken as a frog in. He deliberately avoided the turn that led to that place that held his darkest memories of his greatest pain. 

Alpha sighed deeply and began to climb. The plateau where Cyrus had charged Magus and been struck dead beckoned him. He mounted the summit and knelt at the spot where he had held his friend as Cyrus had died. He rose and gazed toward the cliff face where Magus had stood. One part of his mind noticed that an ash sapling had grown near the spot, while in his memory he saw again that writhing mass of green energy that had engulfed him, thrown him off the cliff and changed his life forever. He shuddered. 

From within a tree next to where he had triumphed those many years ago, Magus watched as Alpha fell to his knees, hugged his shoulders and rocked in agony. He winced as he comprehended how much evil he had wrought in Alpha's life. As if to imprint the image forever in his mind, the shadow of the tree he was hiding in crept over the despairing frog as the sun set. 

Alpha uncurled as the cool evening breeze swept over the plateau. With a visible effort he got up, dusted himself off and walked toward the edge of the mountain. Magus panicked until he realized that Alpha, even though he seemed thoroughly disheartened, looked for the path down the mountain. He waited until Alpha had a good head start and then followed. 

Alpha carefully picked his way down the mountain, paused before taking a seemingly unimportant turn and entered a beautiful lea. Magus melded into a willow tree and watched as Alpha, strangely enough, stood in the spray of the waterfall. Magus was too far to see if there were tears on Alpha's face, but even he could read the totally despondent slump to the frog's shoulders. 

"Alpha?" Magus heard a soft voice call. 

Alpha stepped from the cascade and gasped as Queen Leene entered the clearing. 

"Oh...Alpha...I felt somehow that you needed me...I know...about you, about Glenn...I have a shadowy almost-memory of how you were, tall, handsome, heroic, kind...I remember who you should be...and I know what you are condemned to be..." Leene declared as she approached. 

"Leene, my queen, thou canst not see'eth me thus..." Alpha began as he scrambled away from the queen. 

"No!" Leene's call arrested Alpha's flight. "I remember what happened a few nights ago, but I don't feel that twisting confusion anymore! I know you have been like this, a frog in form, but never in heart; and I know that you have also, somehow, been Guardia's First Knight as Glenn and my own favorite knight as Cyril. I don't know why but these two sets of memories no longer cause me pain," Leene explained further as she neared to within touching distance. 

Magus gaped inside the willow. He thought he had erased Leene's conflicting memories! Step by step he recalled the spell he had set within Leene's mind and realized he had never told her to forget her alternate memories, instead he had told her that her memories would not trouble her. He wondered if Cyrus had confused his intent to cause this effect. 

"Milady, I am relieved that thou hath no further pain from memories of me; I grieveth that I hath brought thee pain at all. Now that I know'eth that thou canst withstand the sight of me, I canst return to thy side and be thy guard openly again and not guard thee unseen from the shadows...but I confess that I am not worthy of that charge for I hath not the honor or bravery of Cyrus who laid it upon me..." Alpha's shoulders slumped again. 

Magus noticed as the slight golden glow he had learned to associate with Cyrus spread from the frog to Leene. 

"Cyrus...was a dear friend as are you. I am certain he would find only honor in you, Alpha, and the decisions you have made..." Leene tried to reassure. 

"Cyrus wouldst curse me for wasting his life and abandoning my charge!" Alpha cried out. "Thou art threatened by erasure from the very fabric of Time! I canst not bring myself to work with Magus who is the only one who canst saveth thee! I am so selfishly wrapped up in remembering who I hath been and what I hath lost...I can not bear to be this again...I can not go on..." 

Leene reached forward and grabbed Alpha in an embrace. He struggled to escape but Leene tightened her hold until Alpha wrapped his arms around her and sobbed. 

"Shh," Leene crooned. "I do not pretend to know the pain you feel. I don't have to. In both sets of memories I have of you, the handsome knight or the loyal frog retainer, you are my friend. You have every right to hate Magus and every right to avoid him. Even thoughts of him are enough to frighten me; a more evil man I have never met." 

Leene's comment stabbed deeper than the sudden thrust of his ghostly Geas. Magus recalled that he had not altered Leene's memories of him, even though his feelings toward Leene had changed. It hurt that she thought of him as frightening and evil. 

"Alpha...Glenn, you have borne more than anyone I've ever met. Cyrus was a friend, a great knight, and a hero of the kingdom, and I do not say this to dishonor him, in fact, I feel as if I'm saying this for him; you have taken more, been more honorable under more trying conditions than I think even Cyrus could have endured," Leene vowed softly as she held Alpha. 

At being addressed with his true name, the Frog Knight sobbed deeper and clung to Leene. She tightened her hold and rocked Alpha as a mother rocks her child. 

Magus found this sorrow of Alpha's to be even more difficult to witness than when Alpha had despaired at Cyrus' tomb. Leene's beautiful face streamed with tears as she offered what comfort Alpha could find in her presence. Cyrus' Geas burned within Magus, compelling him to admit that he caused this pain. Finally, Magus could stand no more. 

He shifted from the willow by the pool to the ash on the plateau and stepped out. 

"I see what I did! I understand what I caused! I am not a heartless monster who does not regret his actions! But understand, you pitiless specter, I can do nothing to undo Alpha's curse until I save my sister! You know I am needed to save her and if I do not save her, Leene will perish. Once Schala is saved and I return to you...and you slay me...Alpha will again be restored. Until then...please, please...stop...hurting me. My own guilt is enough without having to take your...punishment on top of it." 

Magus paced a few steps as if to escape both his raw emotions and pitiful plea. 

"Do you think I haven't learned? I see, I admit I misused my power in the past on Glenn and on Leene...but understand this is not my time...this is not the life I should have had...I should have lived my span eons ago in the Land of Magic...been a mage and studied there with my sister. Instead, I was cast as a child through a Time Gate to a hostile land with nothing but half-remembered lessons and a talent for spells. I hated Lavos with all that I was. He...it destroyed my mother, my homeland, my life...I learned fearsome magic to try to kill it for all it had done to me and those I loved..." Magus stripped some leaves off the tree and tore them in his hands. 

"Now Lavos is dead...my sister is in danger and through her Leene and other relatives I never knew I had...once I save her then what? I have no home to return to. I am just as much an outcast as Alpha! I'm even starting to angst as much as he! In a way it's good that I have your doom over me. I really have nowhere to go..." 

Magus wasn't sure when it had happened, but he noticed the pain from the Geas had eased and only his own guilt burned in his soul. He spent some time composing himself and then, reluctantly, shifted back to the pool side willow. 

Leene, bathed in a brilliant golden glow she was apparently unaware of, cradled Alpha's head in her lap. She pulled his cloak over his shoulders and stroked his head very gently. Alpha seemed to sleep, worn out once again by powerful emotions. Magus watched in awe as the moon rose and washed silver light into the glade. Leene seemed to absorb that pure light. She smiled gently down on the Frog Knight as he slept on in her lap. 

"Alpha...Glenn, I can't help but feel...everything will be made right. I can't explain why I feel this, but I do. I think...the future holds much happiness for you. I would make that my wish if I could...that you find happiness. You deserve so much! You accuse yourself of broken honor because you cannot abide Magus. If you only knew how much honor you really have! Strangely, I feel that Magus brings you your happiness...that somehow he is connected," Leene pondered the meaning of her own remark and then shook her head ruefully. 

Magus shivered within the willow, sensing that the queen was manipulating great magic. He felt certain that Leene herself was unconscious of her own ability. The moon rose higher and, as the silver light flowing into the glade muted to white, the raw magic ebbed. Leene sighed. 

Magus lost track of time as he watched the queen, in a weird reversal of roles, guard Alpha. He had all but forgotten the strange golden aura until it flowed from Leene to Alpha. 

"You and Cyrus are my favorite knights," the queen whispered to the sleeping frog. "Remember that always! And, while I admit that you, as Glenn, are quite fair to look at, it is your friendship, loyalty and honor that I treasure more." 

Alpha stirred and woke. 

"Oh, my lady! I shouldst not...thou mustn't...I..." Alpha struggled to his feet and helped the queen to rise. 

"Alpha!" Leene laughed. "It is okay! I have been honored and amused to serve as your guard this night. Whatever happens, however you appear when your quest is over, return to me. There shall always be a place for you at my castle, my friend." 

Alpha bowed. 

"Further, I think you will find you can now think of working with Magus. You don't have to like it, but I think you can manage it. You have more strength and forbearance than you realize." 

"Thou may'eth be right, my queen," Alpha admitted in a low tone, "It doth not make sense, but I feel'eth...comforted; I feel'eth that I am not abandoning my memories of Cyrus to work with Magus. I shouldst seek him out, discuss with him what hath happened..." 

"Alpha, remember that you only have to work with him. You do not have to like him, or what he has done. You have to steer him in the right course for now. I have vague memories of discussing Schala with you...something about reality being threatened?" Leene responded. 

"Yea, to saveth reality, and even more to saveth thee and Ariel, I can work with Magus," Alpha vowed. He looked toward the east and noticed the first rays of dawn. 

"Milady, thou hath spent the night watching o'er me! Thou must need sleep thyself. I shouldst escort thee back to thy castle..." Alpha recriminated himself. 

"I am tired!" Leene admitted. 

Magus waited until Leene and Alpha had left before stepping from the willow. 

"I should head back toward the frog's home, set up a camp somewhere so that he can find me for our 'discussion'," Magus said out loud. 

He carefully eased from the glade and down the last few yards of the mountain. A huge boulder offered him cover as he looked around it to make sure Alpha and the queen would not see him. Alpha stood defiantly as four of the queen's guardsmen confronted him. 

"So, you kidnapped our queen? I always knew you weren't to be trusted you cold-hearted frog!" the lead guardsman jeered. 

"That not be..." Alpha started. 

"Can't you even speak properly? You really are a pitiful creature!" another guardsman pointed out. 

"Stop! Alpha is my friend! I came here of my own free will. I will not hear you slander him!" Leene commanded. 

"As you wish, my queen. We should take you back to the castle. You must be exhausted from your ordeal," one of the guards offered unctuously as he took her elbow. Another man took her other arm. She promptly shook their hands off her. 

"I am not a child to be so treated. I am the queen! I command you to leave Alpha alone!" Leene stood at her full height and tilted her chin at a challenging angle. 

"I shouldst leave now, my liege. I know'eth these guards will taketh excellent care of thee, e'en though they do not trust me. Thy memories shall bear me out," Alpha looked sorrowfully at these time-shifted versions of friends he had made before reviving Magus. He turned resolutely and walked toward the woods. 

"Remember to return to me, no matter what!" Leene called after him. "You are as true and honorable as Cyrus ever was!" 

"He must have her under a spell!" a young guardsman muttered. 

"Stop speaking nonsense!" Leene snapped. "You could do a lot worse than to have Alpha as a model! Now, attend to me, if you will, and return with me to the castle. And I better not hear any more talk about Alpha 'kidnapping' or 'ensorcelling' the queen or I shall put you on scullery duty and give the maids a week off!" 

-------------   
Author's notes - 

Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get! 

stargarde@stargarde.com   



	8. Chapter Eight

**Shadows of Schala - Chapter Eight**

Magus watched as the queen and her four guards departed for the castle and reflected that, despite the queen's generous command to return, Alpha had no place to go in this time either. It disconcerted him that he and his enemy had so many points in common. He remembered Prime's advice to think of Orion and Alpha as allies and realized that he did think of the big-hearted kid with the wild hairdo and potent lightning magic as an ally, almost a friend. He wondered why he had not made the same shift in perception toward Alpha. He shrugged his shoulders and entered the woods. 

A week of following the frog had given Magus a good instinct for how long it would take for Alpha to stumble upon his "camp". Magus had just put the last few touches to his camp before he heard the very slight noise Alpha made walking through the woods. 

"So...here you are," Magus commented drily as Alpha came into view. 

"Magus! What art thou doing here?" Alpha demanded. 

Magus stood up, tossed his stick into the fire and brushed his cloak off. 

"Waiting for you, of course," he answered amiably enough. "You and I have much to discuss, frog." 

Alpha closed his eyes in weary patience. "Magus, I need to help thee in any way that I canst, to saveth thy sister, Schala, my friend, Ariel and my queen, Leene. That is a situation I canst not change, nor canst thee. Must we...endure insults and make such a venture so much more taxing than it must be?" 

Magus cast as neutral and blank a stare as he could for a long moment and then turned away. 

"I...find I need your help. I don't like it anymore than you do. Fate...doesn't care that we have a rather...adversarial history," Magus gazed intently at a small inoffensive shrub even as his Ghost-given Geas screamed in his soul. Violently he stamped down the pain. It unnerved him that Alpha hadn't responded so he glanced at the silent frog with an affectedly bored look. 

To his surprise, Alpha caught his gaze and then looked hastily away. 

"There was a moment when I...desired thy death beyond all things. I...respond'eth to that urge and...took thy life. Fate decreed that it not be so and I wast allowed to undo that. Thus far, I've not regretted that," Alpha admitted. 

It shook Magus to realize that Alpha had felt guilty for slaying him. One part of him could not believe that, in one timeline he had actually been dead, even though he had read the promise of death in Alpha's eyes during their fight on South Cape. It seemed wrong that Alpha was apologizing to him, given all he had done to Alpha. 

The Geas within him and some small part of his own soul cried to him to make a like apology; that he would undo all he had done if he could, but the old, bitter attitude refused to give way. He thinned his lips and gazed into the distance just over Alpha's left shoulder. 

Alpha's eyes blazed in disappointment and his features settled into a hard expression that reminded Magus of Alpha's face during their duel on South Cape. 

"You and I must work on combining our magic if we're going to try to save my sister, and your friends. We can't avoid it any longer," Magus noted aloud. He turned to look Alpha full in the face and in as patronizing a tone as he could manage said, "Let's not have any more useless sulking, shall we?" 

He quailed inside at the fury he could all but sense from the Frog Knight, but was relieved that the last of Alpha's despair seemed to vanish. "_If he has to hate me to get over his depression, well, so be it!_" Magus thought to himself. He noticed the burning from the Geas lifted. 

"I suppose I shall have to supply the magical charge to your weapon, since the water magic you wield is the weakest of the elemental magics. It's hardly worth it to combine my scythe and your water spells. We'd almost be better just keeping our techniques separate," Magus noted in a taunting voice. 

"For someone who is doomed if we do not combine our magics, thou art imprudent!" Alpha shot back as he stalked off.   


******** 

The Geas remained relatively quiet for the next few weeks as Magus strove to develop fighting strategies with each of Orion's friends. As he had thought, he combined most easily with Prime. The similarities between his Shadow magic and Prime's futuristic weapons made it very simple to align the forces properly. Surprisingly, Orion's Lightning magic was the next easiest one for him to work with. Elora's Fire magic followed that and lastly, the Water magic from Alpha. 

Magus realized that all the combined spells they devised that he was a part of were destructive and further realized that the only magic he used routinely was destructive as well. The closest thing he had to healing or assisting magic was the sleeping-potion-aided spell that he had used on Leene, and even that was unreliable. He found himself studying parts of his magic tomes that he had only glanced at before. 

He looked at the science of magic from a new perspective and made some discoveries. Shadow was the most destructive magic of all, Lightning next, then Fire. Water he had always counted as the weakest magic, and from an offensive point of view it was, but it was also the most versatile. The strongest curing and aid-giving magic existed in the element of Water. No healing flowed from the discipline of Shadow. From this he postulated the difficulty with combining with Alpha stemmed. Alpha's magic and the way he used it was totally alien to Magus. He had never expected that the frog would teach him anything about magic. 

Interspersed with his logical and in-depth examination of magic was a thorough revulsion of one aspect of Alpha's magic. Every time that Magus was injured, Alpha would used that damned Slurp of his. He became so fast at tagging Magus with his tongue that his Slurp Cut was becoming formidable. Alpha routinely beat Prime out for the task of healing Magus. It got so that Magus had begun to cut a recognizable path to the stream, so often did he trek there to clean up. 

He found that he really couldn't blame the frog. The week he spent following Alpha had showed him more of Alpha's heart than he had cared to know. The Geas made sure that he realized each and every day what he had done to Alpha. The pains and aches that were Cyrus' mode of communication had started to change Magus' behavior. He began to endure the Slurp Healing with only narrowed eyes and a grimace of disgust...until Elora noted it. 

"Hey, Magus, you aren't goin' all soft on us are you? I haven't heard a peep out of you at all today!" 

Magus couldn't understand Elora's animosity. True he had tried to kill all of them when they came to stop him from summoning Lavos, but they had invaded his castle. He didn't care for anyone to think that he was going soft. 

"Fortunately, I haven't required any so-called healing today and so haven't had to endure the frog's odious touch," he retorted. 

The Geas beat at him with frightening force and to distract himself Magus watched the reactions to his comment. Alpha's shoulders slumped and he stared at Magus dully for a moment before moving off through the trees. Prime shot a complex look that combined reproach, disappointment and an obscure understanding Magus' way before following Alpha. Magus was amazed that he had read all that on Prime's metallic face and part of him was astonished anew at Elora's accomplishment in adding this to Prime's abilities. 

Elora herself glanced daggers at Magus and muttered darkly under her breath. Orion watched each reaction even as Magus did with a level, assessing expression. He turned toward Magus with that gaze and nodded as if deciding upon something. 

"Elora," the note of command, so rarely used, was in his voice. "I want to speak with you at Alpha's pad. Go and wait for me there." 

Elora looked at him, thought about quipping something, thought better of it and walked off in the direction of Alpha's home. 

"Magus..." Orion started in that same level voice. 

Magus looked at him with a neutrally challenging stare and adjusted his right glove casually. Orion bared his teeth in a mirthless smile at that almost-threat. 

"I know that this isn't easy for you or for Alpha," Orion continued. "Elora's comment didn't help...but," Magus found steel in Orion's hard, blue gaze, "back off!" 

Magus didn't quite nod but he saw that Orion read something in his eyes. Satisfied, Orion followed Elora. 

Magus paced about in the now deserted clearing and thought about the past few weeks. He had studied the softer side of magic, come to understand some of the strengths and weaknesses in each form of it. He had learned to act cooperatively with others, at least part of the time. He had found at least one...person...in Prime whom he almost considered a friend and he suspected Orion could be a friend as well. Shadowing Alpha on his search had opened his eyes about what he had done as nothing else could. 

"Perhaps I am going soft," he noted aloud. "Oh, I wish Schala were here!" 

He paced the clearing again. 

"Soft...me? I can't be...I've come so far, lost so much...I can't lose the one thing...that...If I start to...need...people, how can I survive? I am Magus, I warred on Guardia, damn near won, too...I command dark and powerful magic, people fear me...they wouldn't trust...I can't need people...I can't, I won't go soft!" he whispered fiercely. 

******** 

The next day Magus made certain to be as unreadable and cranky as he had ever been. Even though the Geas pulled on him painfully all day, he snarled at everyone and was as rude and churlish as possible. His head ached with the pain from the Geas and the unexpected effort it took to behave so obnoxiously. He used that pain to maintain his bad mood. 

"Get it through your tin-plated head, robot!" he found himself saying. "You're a machine! Why anyone would have use for you as other than cheap labor, I cannot fathom!" 

The wounded look in Prime's mechanical green eyes made him want to take back everything he had just said but he wouldn't let himself weaken. Prime finally turned and walked away. One by one Magus brutally severed any tenuous connection he had made with anyone that dealt with anything other than power and rescuing his sister. He found a curious reluctance in him as he did so, but he resolved to do away with anything that might weaken him or make him soft. Ozzie had taught him from early on that to show softness or weakness was to give power to your enemy...and everyone was an enemy. 

Elora walked around and gave Orion significantly smug looks. Prime avoided Magus all together, even so far as to walk in the other direction if Magus showed up in his line of sight. Orion himself had a confused, rather lost look about him. Alpha watched Magus almost constantly with one hand resting on the hilt of his sword and a totally alien look in his golden, slit-pupiled eyes. 

On the third day the strain got to even Magus. He woke with the rest of them, found his stomach couldn't take another day of behaving so evilly and simply walked into the forest as if disgusted with everyone. 

"You might as well claim me now," he thought fiercely at the Ghost. "It's obvious I've pushed away any who could help me find Schala. They can probably do a better job of rescuing her without me anyway. I'm a villain, not a hero!" 

The Geas remained quiet. Magus stalked almost blindly through the forest, unaccustomed tears stinging his eyes. He wasn't even certain why they were there. 

He missed his footing and tripped over a fallen tree on the side of the faint trail. He felt a sickening shock and heard a loud snap. He cried out hoarsely in agony and fell, clutching his broken leg. His effort to ease the pain by cradling his leg caused the world to swim alarmingly. Magus knew why he was crying now. 

He rued that he did not have healing magic and that he had probably so disgusted his companions they were unlikely to come looking for him. He tried to pull himself over to a tree to stand, but the pain of just sliding his broken leg across the ground forced him to stop before he passed out. Magus admitted he needed help, without it he could possibly die out here. 

"Magus! What hath happened?" Alpha cried as he saw the mage crumpled next to the path. Magus's leg bent sideways just below the knee at an angle that would have told anyone that his leg was fractured. 

Magus looked up at the frog knight and read the concern in his eyes. "Alpha..." To his disgust, he couldn't even form the request that might ease his pain and looked away in shame. 

He heard movement and looked back to find Alpha crouched next to him. Eyes of purest, pale gold met his. The alien, sideways slit pupils gave no clue at the thoughts behind them. For the first time since North Cape, Magus feared the frog. 

"Art thou injured but for thy leg?" Alpha asked neutrally. 

Magus couldn't help it. He shook his head no, scrunched his eyes tightly closed and braced his shoulders for the odious assault of healing he knew was coming. 

A few interminable seconds passed. The lightest, softest flick of a touch came to rest on his arm and the gentlest warmth pooled in his leg and eased his pain. He felt the bone knit itself back together and the throbbing, sickening ache disappeared. 

Utterly surprised he opened his eyes and locked gazes with Alpha. This time, the frog knight's humanity glowed in his alien amphibian features. 

"Why?" 

"Thou art not mine enemy. I hath come to see thee through new eyes," Alpha observed quietly. 

Hating pity even more than the Slurp, Magus searched Alpha's face. He found respect, affection and compassion in those wide set amphibian eyes, but no pity. He realized that Alpha did not see him as soft or weak. 

"It wast not until thou began to behave so awfully that I realized that thou had really changed. Seeing the return of the old Magus madeth me realize that there wast more than just the old Magus. Thou had formed a friendship with Prime, one wast starting with Orion, e'en Elora would hath come around. It wast her comment about softness that changeth all of that, wasn't it?" Alpha noted. 

Magus was shocked that Alpha could figure that out about him. He had never credited him with that much perception or intelligence before. Alpha smiled sadly at him with his ridiculous frog mouth, easily following the train of his thought, and gazed over his shoulder. 

"I...I wish'eth Cyrus had found Janus instead of Ozzie," he noted softly. 

Magus was stunned yet again. He had come to know how much Cyrus had meant to Alpha. In a way, Alpha was trying to give Cyrus to Magus. Magus smiled tightly at the irony. He had more of Cyrus than he cared to stomach! And yet, unless he was completely reading it wrong, Cyrus or at least his Ghost, seconded Alpha's wish. Magus wondered how his life would have turned out if Cyrus had found his younger self instead of Ozzie. 

In spite of himself, Magus found tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He knew in his heart of hearts that Alpha was the True Hero. Such generosity of spirit is no easy feat. 

"I...fear I have sorely used you...Glenn," Magus' voice was rough with emotion. "...killing Cyrus, turning you into a frog, the way I've been treating you..." 

"I admit I've not been overly gentle with thee. My Slurp Heal wast never so messy an I useth it for thee!" Alpha chuckled a little. 

"Alpha...Glenn, I would restore you to your true form if I could...undo that part of the damage I've caused in your life...but I don't know how..." Magus noted the tight, sad look that flashed across Alpha's face even as Alpha laid a hand on his arm. 

"Be...at peace. There are advantages to being as I am now. I...am accustomed to it. Those who truly know me do not care how I appear'eth. That is all that matters." 

From tailing him on his quest, Magus knew what it cost Alpha to be a frog and knew that the cost would continue to be exacted. He reflected that if Alpha could bear up under that, he might be able to bear it if some thought he was soft or even...weak. 

"How am I...I'm rotten at apologies and I don't really know how to be a friend. You and Orion..." Magus stammered out and found that opening up to Alpha was easier than he would have dreamed possible. He wondered if having part of Cyrus well, possessing him, had anything to do with that. 

"Each friendship is a unique and valuable thing. My friendship with Orion is quite different from the one I have with Prime," Magus winced inside at how he had hurt Prime just the other morning, "and each friendship with one of the girls is different from that. Thou and I will find our friendship together...if that is what thou want'eth." 

"Unfortunately, sarcasm and quips are more my style than quiet heart-to-hearts or being...nice," Magus noted dryly. 

"Sarcasm can sometimes be...friendly, and quips do not always have to hurt. Elora calls me 'froggy' with great affection and I take no offense," Alpha admitted. 

"You mean I don't have to be sweetness and light to be a friend?" Magus asked. 

"Is Orion?" 

"No, but when he teases you it is obvious that is what he's doing. When he speaks his mind or heart no one laughs at him," Magus said slowly. 

"Hath I laughed at thee?" Alpha asked. 

"No...but I'm afraid the others might or might feel superior...Magus, the evil sorcerer brought low, defanged, made good!" Magus admitted in a low tone. 

"Magus, defanged? Thou?" Alpha laughed in mock amazement. "Seriously, while some of what thou hath done is evil, I doth not believe that thou, thyself are evil. There is good within thee. Thou could hath slain me rather than transforming me. Thy search for Lavos was for vengeance for a wrong it had done thee, not power. E'en now, thou search'eth for thy sister. These acts art not wholly evil and at least one is wholly good. With Lavos gone, thou must change. It dictated thy life long enough. Now it is time for thou to decide who and what thou are." Alpha looked intently into Magus' face and saw that his words were having some effect. 

He leaped up and offered a hand to Magus. "We shouldst rejoin the others." 

"Hop along, Sir Froggy," Magus replied accepting the hand up. His leg took his weight and seemed whole. It was as if he hadn't broken it at all. 

"Why is it everyone picks on the frog and maketh silly jokes at my expense?" Alpha muttered half to himself. 

"It's just your lot in life, my...friend. Huh, that wasn't so hard!" Magus declared. 

"Come on, Mad Mage, we shouldst return to the others," Alpha replied as he slapped Magus across the back. Magus crouched defensively and eased up with a sheepish grin. 

"Okay, I've got some learning to do!" 

******** 

"Powdering your nose, Magus? What took you so long?" Elora asked peevishly. "Alpha went looking for you over an hour ago!" 

Magus bristled reflexively. He felt more vulnerable than ever before in his life and found he couldn't tell the truth of what had happened between himself and Alpha. 

"I fell...and broke my leg. Alpha found me and...you know I always have to clean up from the frog's Slurp." 

Alpha started. "_Why that ungrateful...that was the gentlest...I'll show him cleaning up the next time he needs healing! Just wait!_" he promised himself as he smiled wolfishly. 

Orion noted it and shot a puzzled look at his friend as they walked deeper into the woods looking for monsters. 

Orion noticed some peculiar things starting from that day. Firstly, every time he opened his mouth Magus hung on every word almost as if he were studying Orion for some reason. Orion sincerely hoped the mage wasn't trying to decide what vile thing he was going to turn him into. 

Secondly, the "evil" Magus seemed to have disappeared entirely. For instance, Orion noticed that Magus seemed to be trying to grab a private moment with Prime. Orion decided to interfere and bring that meeting about. As if by accident, he assigned both Magus and Prime rear-guard on their march and then set a slightly faster pace so that Magus and Prime could fall back for a bit out of earshot. He looked back after awhile and noticed that they had closed the gap. The easy carriage of the mage and springiness in the step of the robot and the closeness between them told him his instinct had been right. Magus had mended whatever had damaged his friendship with Prime. 

Truly remarkable was the teasing Magus piled on Alpha. The most amazing aspect was that anyone could see that it was teasing. There did seem to be a genuine respect in Magus now toward the frog knight. The fact that it troubled Alpha not at all, and he gave at least as good as he got, was not lost on Orion. 

Elora was just as untrusting and acid of tongue as usual toward Magus, but most of the time he would just smile rather sweetly and change the subject. His quips and jibes, while just as dry and wryly funny as ever, were less like insults and more often amusing things that everyone could laugh at. 

Orion wasn't quite sure what he was witnessing, but he did admit that Magus was becoming part of the team. This thought did not panic him as it did before. In fact, it began to comfort him. He realized that a powerful Mage, skilled in many magics could be very handy in rescuing Ariel and Schala. Orion wasn't sure where he himself stood with the reformed mage (he hadn't forgotten the rough way he had treated Magus, and was fairly sure Magus hadn't either) but he decided to let Magus determine when they would discuss that. 

On one foray he fell back to pace with Alpha who was rear-guard. "I guess I'm getting used to Magus. He's not such a bad seed after all," Orion noted quietly to the pensive frog knight. 

"He still possess'eth many rough edges. Perhaps a liberal application of water shall smooth'eth them down," Alpha noted in a low tone. 

Orion really didn't like the smile on Alpha's face. 

"Alpha, are you...feeling okay? I know you two have been joking with each other lately...but...you have this...well, evil smile when I mention Magus. You aren't going to kill him again, are you?" Orion felt compelled to ask.   
  
Alpha stopped suddenly and looked searchingly into his friend's worried face. He smiled the uncomplicated, wholesome smile Orion preferred. "Be at ease, my friend. Magus is safe in my webbed hands, far safer than he hath e'er been in his life. He just won't like it much." Alpha smiled that wolfish smile and let Orion see the mischief behind it. 

Orion wasn't sure if he was reassured or not as he walked back toward the front just as Elora startled some T'poles. 

******** 

Magus ruminated about how odd life could be. He had felt hardly a twinge from Cyrus' Geas since Alpha had healed his broken leg. He found that he very much enjoyed being with these people, able to be himself for the first time in a long time, in fact since he had been dumped through Lavos' Time Gate as a child. He had been raised in such a hostile place and Ozzie had expected so much from him, that he was never able to become what he wanted to be. He hadn't actually considered what he wanted to be before. Alpha's wish that Cyrus had found Janus forced Magus to confront truths he would rather have avoided. How much of who he is was decided by Ozzie the power-mad mystic and how much was what he wanted to be? 

Magus admitted that it was actually a pleasure to blend his magic with the others to efficiently dispatch monsters. He ached to level such destructive energy at whomever threatened his sister, but recognized the wisdom of Gaspar's plan that he learn to work with these heroes. He found the seeds of genuine liking for each of his team mates in his soul...even the frog. Maybe especially the frog. Even as he wondered who he would have become if Ozzie hadn't warped his childhood, he wondered who Glenn would be if he hadn't cursed him so long ago. 

Such profound thoughts occupied him so much that he failed to interpret a signal correctly when they were attacked by T'poles. He was supposed to dodge right, collect Elora's Fire spell on his scythe, dodge left and accept Orion's Lightning spell as well and whirl three times to take out all the monsters in one triple-powered attack. He dodged left. 

Orion's second strongest Lightning spell set his nerves to screaming and Elora's Fire spell sent that pain spirally toward a crescendo he very much wanted to avoid. Dimly he noticed Prime's lasers whine into the foul creatures. The ones still standing from that fell to Orion and Alpha's sword work. 

Magus looked up as Orion approached him. Orion slid his sword into the scabbard at his side as he neared. 

"Oops. I think I zigged when I should have zagged!" Magus admitted with a low laugh. 

"You look terrible," Orion said flatly. "What were you thinking of?" 

"This and that. These burns hurt! Can't you chide me later after I'm all healed?" Magus asked. 

Orion chuckled and gestured theatrically as he stepped aside. Magus saw both Prime and Alpha standing before him. 

"Next time, Prime," Magus promised. "Okay, frog-face, Slurp me!" 

Magus was totally unprepared for the spray of slime accompanying Alpha's Slurp. Alpha thoroughly Slurped Magus up one side and down the other. Magus was sopping wet as the brutally punishing heat of the healing made him reel back, igniting his temper. 

"Why you!" He jumped up in his anger and summoned one of his more potent spells. Orion noticed the ominous purple glow and planted himself firmly between Magus and Alpha as he drew Rainbow. 

"Magus," Orion suggested in a low, dangerous tone. "You should seriously reconsider where you're planning to aim that!" 

Magus aimed straight up and sent the raw, ripping magic screaming skyward. 

Orion sheathed his sword and stepped aside again. A slight smile touched Magus' lips. Orion glanced back in time to see Alpha wink toward Magus. Orion, unsure of what he had just seen, rubbed his eyes and shook his head. 

By the time he looked back, Magus' perpetual scowl was in place and even Alpha looked rather grim. 

"I thought..." Orion began. 

"I doubt that!" Magus snarled as he pushed by him. 

"Uhm...Alpha, just how long is your tongue?" Elora asked quietly. "I didn't think you had that much fluid in your entire body!" 

"Now that thou mention'eth it, I am rather parched. Shall we stop at the tavern this evening?" 

After dinner, at the tavern, Elora and Prime strolled off so that she could repair some minor damage from the day's exertions. Orion sauntered up to where Alpha and Magus were talking on back porch of the tavern. 

"Not to interfere," Orion began conversationally. "But just what in hell is going on with you two?!" 

"Going'eth on?" Alpha repeated. 

"Are you implying that I am treating Sir Froggy any differently?" Magus asked sweetly as he adjusted a glove. "Because if you are...What could I do to him, Alpha? I don't really want to spend any energy hurting him. Occasionally he is almost...useful." 

"Oh, I know'eth not. Thou couldst ask'eth me to Slurp him as I do thee, I suppose," Alpha mused seriously. 

Orion grinned in amazement at their easy, bantering accord.   
  
"Truly, a fate worse than death. I'll leave that honor exclusively yours, Magus. Forget I said anything," Orion walked toward the tavern door. 

"Oh, and Magus," Orion turned his head as he grasped the latch. "Nice to have you on our team...most of the time." 

Magus shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I'd nothing better to do...and a little frog told me my sister needs rescuing..." Magus gazed at the floor grimly. Orion thought Magus looked lonely and realized that Magus missed his sister. 

"Don't worry. We'll find her!" Orion vowed quietly. 

Magus looked him full in the face. "I know," he said simply. "I realize I would have no chance to save her on my own. You have no reason to help me...thank you." 

Before Orion could say anything expressing his amazement at Magus' confession, Alpha spoke up. 

"I am not little!" he said fiercely, drawing up to his four foot height. 

"I don't know...I'm half again as tall as you!" Magus noted, swirling his cloak around his over six foot frame, "That makes you fairly little in my eyes!" 

-------------   
Author's notes - 

Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get! 

stargarde@stargarde.com   
  
  
  



	9. Chapter Nine

**Shadows of Schala - Chapter Nine**

****

"You know, guys," Orion began the next day as they trudged through some back woods in Guardia, "I didn't think about this before, but how is Gaspar gonna let us know when he finds out something? I mean, we have Ark here and there's no one he can send after us..." 

"He could send Spekkio..." Elora began doubtfully. 

"I think perhaps Spekkio cannot come into Time," Prime replied. "It isn't a logical analysis...it's just a feeling..." his robotic voice tapered slowly at what he just said. 

"Prime! Your first 'gut feeling'! How does it feel?" Elora crowed. 

"Strange! How do you deal with such a strong conviction that has no basis at all in logic? One that has no supporting data?" Prime asked in distress. 

"You don't try to explain it, you just decide how to proceed with it," Elora reassured. "You'll see!" 

"Thou know'eth," Alpha began. "The fact that thou art wondering in itself could be the Guru trying to summon us..." 

"That...feels right," Magus agreed softly. 

Orion looked at them for a long moment. 

"Amazing!" he teased. "the frog and the mage actually agree on something! Perhaps you are right. Let's jaunt to the End of Time and see." 

"All FIVE of us?!" Elora exploded. "Do you know what that will do?!" 

"Nope. Haven't a clue. Shall we find out?" Orion asked with an impish smile. 

******** 

Gaspar started as a sonic boom thundered across the length and breadth of the End of Time. He heard a curious whimper from behind Spekkio's door as the echoes died down. A great gust of wind slammed the Ark into the docking area, throwing three people from the Timeship violently to the ground. 

Prime unclamped his rambolts and jumped down to help a distinctly green-faced Elora to her feet. He moved gently and slowly to keep from disturbing Elora's tenuous hold on her balance and her stomach. 

Orion, whistling, bounded from the pilot's seat and sauntered toward Gaspar's lamppost, "Coming?" he tossed over his shoulder to the other two ex-passengers. 

Magus and Alpha helped each other shakily to their feet and followed. 

Magus straightened a fold of his cloak, smoothed down his hair and walked slowly and deliberately to stand in front of Gaspar. His eyes held a muted gleam of concern as he noticed Elora trying hard not to be sick. He suspected that Alpha was a little greener than usual. Prime appeared to be okay. Magus himself felt queasy. 

He thought of the horror-ride he had just endured, stood nose to nose with the Guru of Time and declared, "He NEVER drives again!" 

Gaspar laughed in his face. "Shook you up a little, huh?" 

Magus surprised himself by smiling. "Well, he did get us here. More or less in one piece. Orion has no nerves." 

Orion smiled cockily. 

"He has no stomach," Magus noted. 

Orion puffed out his chest. 

"He has no brains!" Magus roared. 

"Hey!" Orion complained. 

"On a much more serious note, I have not been able to find out where Schala disappeared to. However, I think I've found a way for Orion to find out for us," Gaspar told them abruptly. 

"Please, guru, go on!" Alpha implored him. 

"You remember that Orion was killed by Lavos and that you had to rescue him with my Chrono Trigger?" 

Everyone but Magus nodded. 

"I looked more closely at the moment when that happened. It strikes me as odd that two timeline shattering events, Orion's death and Schala's disappearance should occur so close to each other. Orion's life thread is cut when he dies and the pattern begins to fray which is why we had to save him, but some strands of that thread persist for a short time. They are very close to Schala's thread before it too disappears," Gaspar continued. 

"So you are saying that some part of Orion, even after he was killed, stayed near Schala? Why?" Magus asked. 

"Those who have strong wills, as Orion does and those who are killed in an untimely manner, as Orion was, often linger for a time after they die. Maybe they are trying to make sense of what happened to them, I don't know. All I know is that Orion, or what was left of him, is the closest...being I can identify near Schala after the disaster. There are others there...but there is a persistent tangle I can't read. I fear someone is obscuring the truth from me," Gaspar admitted. 

"From you!?" Elora's amazement stood out in her voice. 

"That worries me more than anything...but I think Orion can find out the truth for me," Gaspar replied as he paced from his customary spot at the lamppost. 

"How?" Prime asked, shaken that Gaspar was acting so unlike himself. 

"That Timeline's Orion's death is more than a might-have-been...but less than reality. The Timeline he was slain in is so very much like this one, up to a point, of course, that he is virtually the same. I think I can...merge the part of the two Timelines that is Orion together...and he can tell us what happened to Schala after he was slain." 

"?!" 

"What mean'eth thou?!" Alpha demanded. 

"I'm sorry, the analogy doesn't quite work. I can take our Orion, this brave lad here," Gaspar shook Orion's shoulder, "and weave part of his...essence, his soul into the Orion of the other Timeline. Our Orion will then be able to experience and know all the other one did, does...and then tell us." Gaspar spread his hands in a gesture that conveyed his futility to explain any better. 

"Gaspar...what you propose sounds rather fantastic..." Elora began doubtfully. 

"If I did not have this illogic chip I would be in severe pain right now. As it is I am uncomfortable," Prime stated. 

"It sound'eth extremely dangerous...to Orion..." Alpha began. 

"It is. I will need Melchior's help if we are to attempt it at all...and even that does not guarantee that we do not kill Orion or drive him mad...but I can find no other avenue of information. There are so many alternate planes...not just time but space, reality, magic...you could spend your lives several times over and not rescue Schala...and we simply do not have the time...and the Chronal Eraser is speeding toward a critical point of no return..." Gaspar's frustration and despair was almost palpable. 

"...What happens when Orion, the other Orion, dies? How does our Orion survive?" Elora asked quietly. 

"Well, it is rather complicated, but our Orion," Gaspar smiled at Orion who had been in stunned silence the whole time, "...our Orion has knowledge and experiences the other Orion doesn't. Killing Lavos is one. We have to put our Orion so deep in the other Orion that those experiences don't surface and create yet another rift in Time. At the critical moment we have to summon our Orion back. For a brief time we are going to try to make one being out of both of them and then separate them again. If the peril weren't so great...I'd never consider something like this. Since we are dealing with Life, Orion's Life, I want Melchior to help...that is if you are willing to risk it?" Gaspar turned to face Orion. 

He squared his shoulders, stood straight, and took a deep breath. "Yes." 

"Just like that?" Magus asked, "No discussion or questions?" 

"Gaspar's done all he can to find Schala...I hope that whomever is holding her has Ariel too...if this is the only way to find them...I have no choice," Orion stated simply. 

"But...aren't you frightened?" Magus persisted. 

"Terrified! Gaspar wants to blend me with another version of me, if I understand correctly," Gaspar nodded. "That's enough to make me want to hide under my bed...but further...that other me is doomed to die. I've heard about being dead, that I was killed by Lavos and everyone rescued me...there is a gap in my memory compared to theirs, a period of time when I did not exist...now I have to experience that myself. I hafta be with myself when I get killed...don't make me think about it, Magus. I can do this if I don't think about it," Orion pleaded. 

"I'm sorry...it's just you seem so positive. You have a level of courage I can't understand," Magus admitted. 

"Time is of the essence," Gaspar reminded them. "Melchior is..." 

"Here," Melchior said as he entered from the corridor leading to the Time Shafts. 

"You are sure this is the only way?" Melchior asked Gaspar. At Gaspar's nod he continued. "Orion fully understands the risks?" 

Orion swallowed and nodded. 

"Then, I will help," Melchior replied as he walked over to Gaspar's side. 

"What...what do I have to do?" Orion asked apprehensively. 

"You just have to go to sleep," Gaspar replied as he inscribed a graceful hand gesture in the air. Orion slumped suddenly. Prime sprang forward and caught him. 

Prime place Orion on the ground. "I have never seen someone fall asleep so fast!" 

"Thank you. He reacted much quicker that I expected! His trust in me is...unprecedented. Well, let me work," Gaspar replied. He fell asleep. A few minutes later a hazy form of Orion rose and hovered over the End of Time. 

"What?!" Elora asked. 

"That is Orion's...essence. Gaspar has eased him free so we can try this mad thing," Melchior explained. "How do you feel, Orion?" 

"Very strange! And you look so strange too!" Orion replied. 

"Really?" Melchior asked, surprised. 

"Yeah, you are very solid...dense and there are...thousands of threads stretching into the distance from you...everyone has these...cords but you have the most...no I take that back...Gaspar has the most! Hello, guru." A note of deep respect resonated in Orion's voice. Everyone could see what he meant. 

"I did not think that you might see...I need you to relax and...trust me," a ghostly form of Gaspar appeared beside Orion. By the lamppost Gaspar snored on. 

"I...do, but I am frightened!" Orion admitted candidly. 

"I won't say there is nothing to fear, you know there is, and this...procedure muddles your life thread so that I can't read it...but we will do all we can to minimize the risk to you...if you don't want to try this I can..." 

"No. You tried everything else...this is the only way to find out about Schala and Ariel," Orion stated firmly. 

"Okay then, relax, and tell me everything you think and feel. Hold nothing back! I'm starting now," Gaspar warned as he reached his ghostly hands forward and unwound a loop of thread from Orion's heart. 

Everyone watching jumped at the guru's strange action except for Melchior who watched Orion intently. Orion himself seemed startled but unhurt as he looked at Gaspar holding a part of his soul. 

"That is my love for Ariel!" Orion told him. 

"Good! That is one element that remained unchanged. I think this would be easiest on you if I started with this," Gaspar suddenly grew to gigantic proportions. He reached one hand into the Time stream and drew forth another Orion. He sought for the same heart thread and twined them together. The second Orion stood still and did not react at all. 

"What's wrong with him?" Elora asked. 

"He's in stasis, stopped in Time. That way...he won't remember and become confused," Melchior replied. "That could change what must happen, poor doomed lad. I'm so glad his Time stream is now a low probability crux point. I've become rather fond of Orion, of you all. In his Time stream, he died, stayed dead and his world fell apart in 1999," Melchior looked rather pensive and resumed his monitoring of the active Orion. 

"Guru, I don't want to disturb you, but am I supposed to be feeling emotions more strongly this way?" Orion asked quietly. 

"How do you mean?" Gaspar asked. 

"When you wove my thread into...his, my love for Ariel increased...doubled." 

"Hmm. Good thing you are basically a positive young man!" Gaspar replied as he sought another thread. 

Orion laughed and his tension eased. 

Gaspar carefully unwound part of a thick green thread. "And this?" he asked. 

"My friendship with Alpha," Orion told him. 

"I didn't think these would be color-coded!" Gaspar laughed. 

"I thought it might help," Orion mumbled. 

"You...did this on purpose? My boy, you have unprecedented talents. Now, what's this?" 

The green thread that signified Alpha in Orion's life had a curious tangle with many threads and then sprouted new shoots. 

"Alpha became Glenn and then we had to save Magus so..." Orion explained. 

"Oh, so this is well after the Ocean Palace disaster?" Gaspar noted aloud. "What a tangle! I don't want to disturb anything as strong or convoluted as this but what am I to do with it?" 

"Here!" Gaspar handed it to Alpha. "Hold this and keep it from harm!" Startled Alpha took it and wasn't even sure what he was holding. It felt unlike anything he had ever touched before as the substance seemed rock solid and ghostly at the same time. 

Gaspar wove the part of the green thread that he had selected into the one of the time-frozen Orion. At once, Orion stilled. 

Gaspar stopped immediately, "What is it?" 

"Alpha. Alpha! It's so unfair! He's the noblest, most uncomplaining person I've ever met..." Alpha felt a surge of warmth from the thread he held, not with his hands but his heart. He almost dropped the precious thread. 

Not knowing how to offer comfort, Alpha tried to send his feeling of friendship along the thread to his distressed friend. Melchior felt it, turned toward him and nodded. 

Encouraged, Alpha tried to impart some of the good things about his curse along the thread. Underlying it all he sent an indulgent, "Calm'eth down, tadpole!" 

Orion laughed almost causing Alpha to drop the thread again. 

"Tadpole?! You do like that nickname for me, don't you? Thanks, Gl...Alpha. I think that centered me." 

Alpha sent reassurance and nonsense, sensations and memories during the rest of Gaspar's unusual procedure. Gaspar gently unwound parts of heart threads from their Orion and wove them into the time-stopped Orion. Each time he would entrust the part from after the Ocean Palace disaster to whomever it applied to. As each one took charge of the thread he or she added their reassurances to Alpha's. Finally Gaspar encountered a strong black thread that had unexpectedly changed color. 

"This?" Gaspar asked as he lightly touched it. 

Orion paused and then answered. "Oh...Magus. You know, he's not really a bad person. I realized that just recently." 

"How did you think of him before?" Gaspar questioned. 

"Evil and power mad." 

"I see. Let's not double those feelings. Here, Janus, hold this." 

Magus took the cord that was Orion's thoughts of him and looked at it intently. 

It had been darkest, unrelieved black, then faded and come back again. Magus realized this was his "death". Further on he noted that it tangled rather dramatically with Alpha's thread. As it emerged from that tangle the black had shots of color; green, white, red, blue, yellow. The overall color was still black but the texture was deeper and somehow...comforting. Magus felt nothing at all from the heart thread. 

Gaspar stood back and examined his work one more time. Orion stood still with portions of his soul wound into his own past self and others held carefully by his friends. 

"How do you feel?" Gaspar asked worriedly. 

"Very strange. I feel...kinda like I'm dissolving...spread too thin somehow...but some feelings are more intense than they've ever been before..." Orion replied. 

"That is as I expect, given what I have done. Melchior?" Gaspar turned and asked the waiting guru. 

"Oh, you did everything right. I watched the whole time. If you had tried to do something wrong I would have let you know. The danger is in what happens later. You and I will have to be quick and careful," Melchior replied. 

"Now what?" Orion asked. 

"You have to fall asleep again," Gaspar replied. 

"But I am already asleep!" Orion pointed out looking at his own body. He shivered. 

"No. Your body is asleep; now your mind and soul must sleep as well. You won't like this; it will feel like death to you, but it is necessary. Your other self can't know that you are within him. Melchior?" Gaspar told him. 

Melchior nodded toward Gaspar who took hold of Orion from behind, holding him still. The Guru of Life, placed Orion into a strange form of sleep with an obscure gesture and Gaspar supported Orion's soul bodily. 

"Intellect, intellect..." Gaspar mused as he held Orion. 

"Bright yellow, weaving through everything," Melchior told him. 

"Ah, yes, thank you," Gaspar said as he sought it out and pulled most of it free. He left one end firmly attached and handed the rest to Melchior. 

"Now, is that everything?" Gaspar asked, looking at his handiwork. 

"I believe so, yes," Melchior replied. 

Then, to bury him into our other friend here," Gaspar stated as he turned toward the Time-suspended Orion. He simply opened a path through all the heart-threads that made up this Orion and somehow minimized and enclosed the sleeping Orion there. 

"There should be enough connections between these two Orions for our Orion to tell us what happens as it happens through his intellect. And we should be able to pull him free when..." Gaspar began. 

"When the other Orion dies and begins to fade from Time," Melchior finished. 

"Let's not leave him like this too long. It isn't very comfortable even though he's asleep and unaware of it...mostly," Melchior urged. "The longer we leave him...connected like this the more danger he's in." 

Gaspar reached forward and sent the remaining Orion back into the Time stream. He then faded and woke up next to the lamppost. 

"Now, what?" Elora asked. 

Melchior wove the bright yellow cord into the sleeping Orion. "We listen," he replied. 

Orion began to speak, telling them without prompting what was happening to him. Everyone stood enthralled as Orion's words carried them with him on the fateful trip to the Ocean Palace, the Mammon Machine, Lavos and his own death. Prime and Alpha, who had been with him when Lavos had killed him, recalled that terrible moment in their own memories while Orion told them of the events leading up to it. Elora wept. Melchior awkwardly patted her shoulder to comfort her. Magus remembered his attack on Lavos and how ineffective his magic had been. He too remembered that moment when Lavos, at his mother's urging, had literally dissolved Orion. He was a little surprised to find that he felt the sorrow everyone else was feeling. 

A heart-rending scream signified Orion's death but his narrative didn't stop there. He related how Schala had sent Alpha, Prime and Magus away from the Ocean Palace using the last of her power. He related Schala's terror at the magic that was unleashed by Lavos in the Palace, transforming it into the Black Omen. He seemed to be drawn toward her, staying with her as she fled through the halls that changed shape even as she ran. 

Orion told them when a Black Portal opened before her. Gaspar who had been following everything as Orion told it to them peered intently into the Mists of Time at this. 

"I should be able to find Orion..." he mused, "and from there find Schala!" 

"There! I see it...a Dark Dimension? No...it's Shadow. Schala's been taken into a dimension of pure Shadow!" 

Just then, Orion related how Schala, who had been aware of him the whole time, spoke with him and tried to send him to his friends. 

"Now! This is the Crux Point!" Melchior alerted Gaspar, "In this Timeline Schala missed. Orion's soul was not sent to Ariel's Pendant, it got lost and finally dissipated. We have to retrieve him NOW!" 

Gaspar leaped into the Mists of Time physically, not bothering to send forth his soul as he did normally. He grew huge, reached his hand forward and intercepted the fleeing soul. He brought Orion back to the End of Time, but seemed to be struggling with him. 

"Melchior! The pull on him is too strong! I can barely hold him!" Gaspar told him. 

"He's integrated so deeply with his other self...I don't know if we can separate him in time!" Melchior replied. "We may have to sever some of the threads!" Melchior joined Gaspar in the Mists of Time. 

"No! If we do that...he'll lose those feelings forever..." Gaspar countered. 

"If we don't we may lose him forever! Do you feel the pull toward Oblivion? We can't stop it. One of him belongs there!" Melchior replied as he helped hold Orion. 

Suddenly Magus thrust the black heart thread he had been holding into Alpha's hands. 

"Pull on that, hold it taut," he directed. "I have to try something!" 

"You need him separated from his other self now? Hold him still!" Magus commanded the two gurus. 

Magus levitated, drew all the light at the End of Time to himself and cast Luminaire directly into the black heart thread that Alpha was holding. The lightning energy flashed along the thread throwing Alpha to the ground on the one end and literally splitting Orion into two at the other. Each Guru found himself holding an Orion. 

"Which is which?" Elora asked. 

"He's yours," one Orion offered. "I'm the one who just got killed by Lavos...from the Time stream where Schala missed the Pendant. It's time for me to go." 

"Go...where?" Alpha asked. 

"Where all of us go when we die. I'm not sure where and I'm not sure what'll happen to me there, but that's where I hafta go," the lopsided smile was so like 'his' Orion's that Alpha found his heart twisting for his friend. 

"But..." 

"Hey, one of us has to go and it should be the right one. Because of what you guys did to save Schala, I know a lot more than I could have otherwise. In him," Orion nodded toward the other Orion, "I saw what you look like as Glenn. I saw that Magus can be a nice guy. I know that Ariel's been kidnapped and Schala has gone missing. Because of me, you now know where to start looking. So let me go, I think I'll be all right, and go find 'em. Rescue them," Orion commanded. 

"But..." the other Orion spoke up, "...what about you? I can't let you just fade away...or go someplace all alone..." 

"I'm not alone. I've got all the friendships you have and more. I've got your friendship as well. You and I, the same and yet different. You don't hate Magus anymore and your feelings for Ariel are deeper than mine. Hey, you've known her longer! I know you want to follow me, help me, and you could, Orion, but that means you would die too. I don't want that any more than you want me to face this alone. If you follow me, who'll rescue Ariel and marry her? Live, Orion, for her and for me. Don't forget me!" Orion abruptly pushed away from both gurus and dove through the Time stream. 

"He's gone. I can't track him anymore," Gaspar said quietly. 

"I...know. When he...died I woke up in him. He felt it. We blended deeper than you intended. He could feel my feelings and he knew my memories. He knew what we had done and why. He didn't blame us. When Schala missed the Pendant I could feel the tug that he did. Something draws you when you are dead, something irresistible. I...liked him. I wish he didn't have to face that all alone...I know he is completely gone now..." Orion admitted. 

"This did not go as I had planned, but everything seems to have come out right. We just have to get you back in one piece and then look for the Shadow Dimension," Gaspar told him. 

"Wait!" Orion said suddenly. 

"What is it?" Melchior asked. 

"Do you feel it? Do you feel the joy?" 

"I...feel it," Alpha admitted. 

"I too," Prime replied. 

"I think he's...happy...wherever he is and this is his way to tell you not to worry about him," Elora said. 

"Sounds like the kind of thing you would do," Magus noted wryly. "Feels like it too. A moment of pure joy to let you know he's okay." 

"I think you're right. Okay, guru, can I go back to being myself please?" Orion asked plaintively. "I've had it with feeling strung out!" 

Gaspar laughed and quickly began to wind the loose threads back into Orion's heart. He was careful to place them back where he had found them. Orion stood quietly as Gaspar restored him. Gaspar encountered a white thread that was new. 

"What is this?" 

"Him...the other Orion," Orion told him softly. 

"Hmm. If I don't weave this in you won't have some distressing memories of his...your death," he noted. 

"No! Please, Gaspar, I know I'm going to have nightmares and some painful memories, but I want to remember...what happened and remember him...the other me..." Orion begged. 

"Okay..." Gaspar wove the thread in near the one that he knew signified Orion to himself. He place it just touching Orion's own thread. 

"Some of these threads are thicker than they were," Gaspar noted, "Any idea why, Melchior?" 

"I suspect it was the rather dramatic way Janus separated the two Orions. I think the other Orion chose to accept the Luminaire charge across his heart threads to cause that separation. Some of his feelings for everyone clung to our Orion's threads. So in an obscure way, he is still with us, in Orion's feelings," Melchior replied softly. 

"He'd like that," Elora noted. 

"I like it too," Orion said. 

"See?" Elora teased with a crack in her voice. 

"Okay, my lad, it's time for you to enter your body again and wake up. You've been in pieces for long enough!" Gaspar told Orion severely. 

"How do I..." 

"Look at me. Sleep!" Gaspar commanded when Orion gazed at him. Orion's eyes closed and he faded from view. A moment later Gaspar followed him. Orion stirred next to the lamppost and woke up. 

"Wow! What an adventure!" he noted as he stretched. "I'm hungry!" 

-------------   
Author's notes - 

I hope this chapter wasn't too...weird. Or, if it was weird, it was weird in a cool way. ^_^ 

As for Magus...hmmm...he really isn't acting that evil any more, is he? But, he did kill Cyrus and curse Glenn! I guess Magus' fate will depend on whether Cyrus' Ghost is more about revenge or more about promoting the good of Guardia! ^_~ 

Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get! 

stargarde@stargarde.com 


	10. Chapter Ten

**Shadows of Schala – Chapter Ten**

"Janus..." Gaspar began.

"Yes?"

"How is it you were able to cast Luminaire? That spell is the maximum Lightning spell. A shadow user such as yourself should not be able to cast it."

"I tried something and it worked. Shadow and Lightning are very close, magically, to each other. When Alpha was able to send his feelings and reassurances along the heart thread, and Orion received some level of comfort from it, I realized that the threads could be used for communication. When you gave me 'my' heart thread, I felt nothing. Perhaps it was because it was not doubled, so Orion wasn't thinking of me. I wasn't able to send him any reassurances as everyone else did, though I tried." Magus cast an apologetic look toward Orion.

"Instead, I conducted an experiment. I am able to cast a strong Lightning spell, so I do know the way of shaping magic for that. I have tried to learn Luminaire before and failed -- I suspect for the very reason you mentioned, that I am a Shadow mage, not a Lightning one. I suspected that the desperate plan might need a spell to undo. Lightning, since it is Orion's magic, was the only one that made sense. I suspected that the strongest Lightning magic I know would be insufficient so... I borrowed a spell. Basically, I used the connection to Orion, through the heart thread you handed me, to leech a Luminaire spell from him. I cast it, but it was his spell. I now know what it feels like, but that level of understanding the force of Lightning magic is still beyond me.

Gaspar smiled slightly and shook his head.

"You hold magic stronger than any your mother dreamed of!" he approved before he turned toward Orion.

"Are you all right? Have you recovered enough to stomach more adventure?"

Orion flashed his cockiest grin and gave the guru a thumb's up. "Melchior made me drink something truly nasty-tasting and gave me something to eat. I'm ready for whatever you gurus throw at us next!"

Despite himself, Gaspar grinned.

"Well then, since you are ready, down to serious business." Gaspar turned expectantly toward Melchior.

"I cannot stress to all of you how important it is that you stay close to Magus. In the Shadow Realm, he is your life. Prime could probably survive a few hours there, since he channels Shadow magic, but the rest of you, the ground, the air, the very place itself is poisonous to you. Magus, as a Master Mage of Shadow, emits a magical energy field that even now casting off tiny bits of Shadow."

Melchior looked seriously into each pair of eyes to drive his point home. "Haven't you noticed that your merged spells, especially the destructive ones are more powerful than perhaps they ought to be? That is Magus' Shadow Field. Since Magus is a power of this Realm, in the Shadow Realm, he will actually emit some of our realm's energy instead. It will be weak at first, but the very nature of the Shadow Realm that is so deadly to you, will strengthen him. As Magus becomes stronger, his Field of our reality will grow. You must be aware of this!"

"If you stray too far from Janus, you will die... and nothing I can do, no Chrono Trigger I can make, will bring you back. Do not be surprised if your spells that are not combined with Janus' Shadow spells, are weak or fail entirely at first. Your lives are truly in his hands." Gaspar was as utterly, deadly serious as Melchior.

"What good are we at all then?" Orion asked, "If only Magus can act..."

Alpha drew his sword, "We can still fight. We can protect'eth Magus as we find'eth out who hast Schala and Ariel. If the Realm be so different from ours, the monsters be different too, but Magus willst not face them alone! I will guard him!"

* * *

They rounded a bend in the path of shadows they were on and came across him. He was standing in the middle of the path and his aspect was as of death.

"Are you Death?" Magus asked levelly.

The man, he seemed to be a man at any rate, crossed his arms, cupped his chin and tilted his head to one side considering the question.

"Not officially, although I suppose for some of you I could be...I am the Seeker of Darkness, the Dark Prince."

Magus felt a chill, almost of recognition, for that had been his title once.

"Why are you here?" Magus asked.

"To test you, of course. To see if you are worthy... but enough of talk!" The Seeker of Darkness raised his arms in an archaic spell casting motion.

"But, why? What are you testing us for?" Orion asked.

"Not you, stripling, you reek of Good. The Mage only!" He completed his gesture and a black bolt struck Orion in the chest. Orion slumped to the ground as if dead.

"I can detect no life signs!" Prime warned as he raced toward Orion's side.

The one who titled himself the "Dark Prince" rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. He watched as Magus' eyes flicked in surprise to his lethal sword and knew that somehow Magus sensed its soul-killing destructive potential.

"Why, you! If you've killed him!" Elora cried out as she summoned Fire Magic to herself, forgetting the weakness her spell would have in the Realm of Shadow. The Seeker of Darkness declined to get his cloak singed and enclosed her in a polyhedral prison of Ice. As he intended, it stifled her spell and the Fire Magic used up most of the air available to the hot-headed girl. Magus noted that the Seeker's elemental spells seemed to function at full force, even as he noted the peril Elora was now in.

"Elora! There is almost no oxygen in there!" Prime cried as he shot his laser at her Ice prison.

"No, Prime! Don't!" Magus called a fraction too late.

The laser bounced across the facets and struck Elora, trapped within. He face reflected agony as she slumped over injured...or worse.

Alpha leaped up and slashed viciously down across the front plane of Ice breaking the prison. Prime rushed forward and cradled Elora gently in his massive arms, crooning an apology all the while. Alpha made certain that his return leap placed him between Magus and their all too lethal foe.

"So...you are the Light to Magus' Dark..." The Seeker noted.

"I am death to you!" Alpha retorted.

"Ha, ha, ha! Brave words, muckdweller! But your pigsticker couldn't hurt me. Stand aside. I have nothing to do with the Light. I deal only with the Dark!" the Seeker laughed.

"I shall not!" Alpha promised as he brought the Masamune up to guard.

"Alpha, check on Orion, please. You can help him, I cannot -- if he can be helped at all. I will converse with this 'Seeker of Darkness'," Magus directed.

"Converse? Magus art thou mad? He attacked Orion, hurt Elora..." Alpha began in anger.

"Not so. I merely silenced one whose prattling I had no care to hear and protected myself from an attack. Her robot injured her!" the Seeker pointed out coolly.

"I suppose -- it could be viewed that way..." Magus agreed slowly.

"Come, walk with me. I need to clear my nostrils of the stench of goodness," the Seeker invited.

* * *

Magus walked, as if in a daze, and followed the one garbed as death into the shadow forest.

"This far and no further," Magus said after a few moments.

"Why?" the Seeker asked.

Magus smiled thinly.

"I know that you know. They depend on me for survival in this realm. If I move too far from them, they will die."

"And...?"

"I do not want them to die yet. Perhaps not at all," Magus mused.

"They are of no consequence. Think of the worlds we could explore, the power we could wield! What need have you of them? They only use you for your power," the Seeker of Darkness offered in a low tone.

"I admit, if not for my power, they never would have saved me, but now, I think there is more to it than that. A few months ago I would have gladly gone with you to seek new realms of power and magic but now..." Magus puzzled.

The Seeker waited quietly.

"...Now, I think there is more to our relationships than simply power. Sure, they need me. But I am beginning to think that I need them too... and not for their power..." Magus realized slowly.

"Cursed ghost!" The Seeker exclaimed. "Caring for another..." he shuddered, "This is your doing..."

The Seeker of Darkness looked up and locked gazes with Magus. Dark eyes glittered within the death-like visage.

"Perhaps... at another time... in another place..." he promised as he faded into shadow.

Magus stared for long moments at the empty space left by the Seeker of Darkness. Finally, he shuddered, almost as if waking, and rejoined the others.

"It is about time that you return'eth!" Alpha chided as Magus approached. "Quickly, you and I must combine our powers to save Orion!"

"Me? I have no power to cure..."

"Idiot! I do! But I need your power of Shadow to make it work here," Alpha explained. "Prime's healing has kept Orion from dying but nothing more. My curing is stronger, but can'st work properly here, in this cursed Realm of Shadow!"

* * *

Author's notes: 

This is as far as I've gotten in this weak and wimpy work-around chapter. I want to explore just a little how the Shadow Realm affects the various magics of our heroes. I feel almost as if I've built up to this grand finale of a fight, and... just can't write it. I bet it has something to do with who the "big bad" of this story is. So, bear with me a little longer while I complete this awkward chapter. I can promise that Chapter Eleven brings this lumbering story back on course.

Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get!

stargarde (at) stargarde (dot) com


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Shadows of Schala – Chapter Eleven**

"Let us try this mad thing!" Magus declared. He looked down, floated and focused the full power of his Black Hole attack on the stricken Orion.

The mingled blue and gold sparkles of Prime's Cure Beam and Alpha's strongest Cure spell collided in Magus' Black Hole spell and writhed around Orion. Their full magical energy spent, all three stared down at the still form on the ground, then glanced over to where Elora sat leaning weakly against one of the shadow trees.

"It should work. Logically, Magus' Black Hole spell can't send Orion anywhere since he is already in a Shadow Dimension, so it should have made him susceptible to the combined healing spell..." Elora's explanation petered out as her own injuries sapped her strength.

"Wha, what did you guys do to me?" Orion demanded weakly struggling to sit up. "I'm beginning to think that dying and being restored by the Chrono Trigger was easier on me than this whole adventure has been!"

"Joking? Obviously you are fine," Magus flicked his cloak mock-disdainfully out of the way as he turned from Orion to kneel next to Elora. He was worried about her too, though Prime's lasers hadn't injured her as much as the Seeker's spell had hurt Orion.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just getting just the tiniest bit weary of waking up to see all your worried faces staring down at me," Orion explained.

"'Tis better than the alternative!" Alpha pointed out, reaching down to help Orion to his feet.

"The best alternative would be to not get so injured in the first place!" Orion retorted.

"True, but some things are unavoidable," Prime suggested. "Not like my attack on Elora..."

"Oh, save me from the remorseful robot!" Magus griped. "Get over here, bucket of bolts!"

"Hey!" Orion complained.

"No, do not worry. It is merely Magus' weak attempt at affection," Prime replied. "What do you require?"

"Elora's injuries aren't as severe as Orion's were, but I believe the same sort of combined spell would help her. So, be ready to use your Cure Beam on her," Magus commanded.

"I can assist..." Alpha began.

"No, I'm certain Prime wants to be the one to cure her," Magus told him.

"Indeed. If she trusts me after what I did to her, that is."

"Of course I trust you, Prime! It's just..." Elora stopped, her eyes going wide behind her thick lenses. "Does it have to be...that Shadow attack?"

"You still don't trust me, is that it?" Magus realized. It stung him a little that Elora distrusted him. He was fairly certain that the reservations that Prime and Orion had once held for him had been relieved, if not completely, than mostly so during the course of this shared adventure. He rather thought that even Alpha trusted him more or less too. It was only Elora who still looked at him with fearful eyes. More than anything in the world right now he wanted to take that fear away for her.

He reached for her hand, took a deep breath and resolved to be as sincere as he knew how to erase that fear.

"You, yourself, discovered this healing application for my Shadow magic here. It is your understanding that led us to realize that my Black Hole spell, which normally banishes a target to a Shadow Realm works differently _in _a Shadow Realm. And because of that, we were able to heal Orion, right? So why would it not work in the same way to help heal you?"

"Not fair to try to use logic on me," Elora grumbled. "But it's not my mind that has reservations, Magus. It's my heart. I don't trust you."

Trust Elora to state it so bluntly. It hurt, a little, to hear it out loud, but Magus admitted to himself that her honesty about it was better than trying to hide it. The truth had been such an elusive thing while he was growing up under Ozzie's "care" that Magus had never really known where he stood. At least with Elora he knew.

"Aw, come on, Elora. Don't be such a baby! I'm just fine, you will be too!" Orion chided.

Magus surprised himself when he realized that he could figure out what Elora was going through by watching her eyes. She didn't want to seem like "a baby" in front of her friends, or Magus either, but she was scared.

"_Although, it was pretty bold of her to admit that she is frightened and not trusting of me in the first place. This has been really hard on her. Her friend is missing, she's stuck here with all of us..._" Magus blinked and looked around at everyone else. Orion, Alpha, Prime, himself...

"It's been hard on you being the only girl in this group, hasn't it?" he finally asked aloud. "No one to talk to about your feelings, no one to share observations with..." he realized softly.

Elora's eyes went wide behind her eyeglass lenses. Her lips thinned as she pressed them together and turned her head away.

"Go... away..." she whispered harshly.

"What?" Magus questioned.

"Go AWAY!" Elora shouted. "Just go, get away from me!"

"Come," Alpha touched Magus' shoulder in a gesture that insistently urged him to stand. "Elora needeth some space."

"I don't understand, what's the problem?" Magus demanded as he followed Alpha through the shadow trees. Absently he noticed that Orion followed.

"Prime will stay with her," Orion told him. "I think you hit the nail on the head with realizing that. It's obvious that Elora still doesn't trust you, so it's upsetting her that you, of all of us, are the one to realize how alone she's been. I've known her longer than any of you. I should have realized..."

"Dost not blame thyself. Thou hast known her longer, and for that reason, thou wouldn't notice her distress. She canst hide such things from thee more easily," Alpha suggested.

"But why hide it at all?" Magus wondered.

"Who knows? Who can understand the female mind except another female?" Orion offered.

"Oh, bother!" Alpha exclaimed. "Doom-glows! Shall we discharge some of our frustration in mayhem upon these evil shadow-creatures?"

"Works for me! It'll give Prime a bit more time to help Elora calm down too," Orion grinned as he drew his sword.

"Somehow I think she would kick you in the shins if she heard you put it that way," Magus noted as he too readied his weapon.

"Yeah, probably. But then I'd know she was back to her old self!" Orion laughed. "Hey! Watch it!" he complained as the monster bits from Alpha's first attack sailed toward him in a bloody mess. "You almost hit me with that goop!"

"Less talk. More fight," Alpha directed shortly.

-----

"Elora! Does this make sense to you? My lightning spells are all at full strength now," Orion asked as they walked up to where they had left Elora and Prime. She wasn't leaning against the tree anymore. Prime had seated himself and she was leaning up against the robot's side.

"We have been here for a while. The gurus said our spells would strengthen the longer we stayed," Elora suggested.

"Right, but why would mine be at full strength when Alpha's aren't? We've been here the same amount of time!"

"Hmmm..." She pondered, looking up at Orion. Suddenly, her eyes widened behind her glasses.

"Oh, no!"

"What? What's wrong?" Orion demanded.

"No, no – that can't be it..." Elora nearly moaned. "But, it _is_ the only variable..."

"Elora..."

"What ail'eth you?" Alpha asked, kneeling next to Elora. "The effect does not last long, but I have the mystical strength to heal thee."

The expression Elora turned into the frog knight's face was distressed.

"Fear isn't something you can heal," she remarked sadly.

"All of us have been here for the same amount of time. Magus' magic is untouched, or even perhaps made stronger, since he uses Shadow, correct? And now Orion's magic is functioning at full strength. All of us have had the same experiences here, fighting the monsters, breathing the air, even slowly absorbing some of the Shadow all around us. But only Orion can use his magic properly, with the exception of Magus," Elora stated slowly.

"Aye, that is correct. 'Tis a mystery," Alpha agreed.

"No, it's no mystery." Elora shook her head. "Orion has had one experience we haven't shared."

"But thou wert injured in this Shadow Realm, too!" Alpha countered.

"True. But I wasn't 'healed' by Magus' Shadow Magic. Magus used Black Hole which banishes one to the Shadow Realm on Orion!" Elora explained.

"I see!" Prime suddenly chimed in. "It couldn't banish Orion since he was already here, but it did bring him into alignment with the Shadow Realm. So now his magic functions perfectly."

Elora's eyes were miserable. "Exactly."

"Well, then. Thou must test it on me," Alpha declared, standing up and dusting his breeches off. "Let us see if Black Hole brings my magic into alignment with this wretched realm!"

"Are you certain about this?" Magus muttered. "What's to say I won't banish you to a different Shadow Realm?"

"Uhm... 'cause he's closest to this one?" Orion hazarded.

Elora nodded. "That makes sense. Even magic would follow the laws of conservation."

"All right, then," Magus muttered, hoping he wasn't about to make a huge mistake listening to them.

The twisting mass of energy of his Black Hole spell slithered around Alpha obscuring him from view. Everyone's breath was held as the energy cleared, hoping that Alpha would be unhurt. Hoping that Alpha would still be _there_.

He was. He looked no different, apparently unharmed by the spell.

"Did'st it work?" he muttered.

"Let's find out!" Orion grinned, dropping his hand to his sword and nodding his head toward the shadow forest. "I'm sure we can find a few 'volunteers' to be targets for your Water attacks! Wanna come along, Magus?"

-----

"Well?" Elora asked tensely as Orion, Magus and Alpha returned.

"Full power!" Alpha confirmed. "It feel'eth good to not be so handicapped anymore."

"Orion, would you take my place here supporting Elora?" Prime asked. "I will go next."

Orion nodded. "Sure."

"It'll be okay, Elora," Orion offered, letting his friend lean on him. She didn't have any apparent injuries, but still hadn't recovered her strength from Prime's accidental laser beam attack. "Alpha said it didn't hurt at all!"

Both watched as Magus concentrated his Black Hole attack on Prime under Alpha's curious gaze.

"I know, Orion, but still..." Elora stopped. "I just don't trust him. What if he tries to hurt me? I've been... well... I've been kind of mean to him..."

"Oh, is that what this is all about?"

"Partly. Mostly... well, he just scares me! He's all dark and evil..."

"Once, sure. And he's still dark and his fashion sense leaves a lot to be desired, but, well, I don't think he's evil any more. He might even be trying to be good!" Orion declared as Magus, Prime and Alpha approached.

Magus glared at Orion, overhearing the last comment.

"At the least I am not trying to harm any of you. Isn't that good enough, Elora?" he asked.

Everyone could read the doubt and reservation in Elora's eyes. She finally sighed and squared her shoulders. "We are here to rescue Ariel and Schala. I guess... I can't help much without being able to use magic. I guess... I have no choice." She reached up to Orion's shoulder as if to use him as a ladder to climb to her feet.

"No, you still feel weak. Don't try to stand," Magus told her.

"But..." Elora protested faintly, craning her head back to look up at Magus' face. She wasn't the tallest (though not as short as Alpha) but when Magus stood over her like this, seated as she was, it made her feel like an insignificant bug about to be squashed.

Magus thrust the haft of his scythe toward Alpha. "Make yourself useful and hold this a minute!"

He knelt next to Elora.

"How about I cast it down here so you don't have to get up?" he asked in a much more gentle tone. "Hopefully you'll be able to throw off the weakness from the laser hits too," he finished as he removed his glove. "Orion's right here, so why don't you close your eyes while I cast it? That way, it may not bother you as much," Magus suggested.

"But..."

"Just a suggestion. It's okay if you'd rather watch."

Magus was acutely aware that all eyes were on him as he reached out and stroked Elora's cheek. Her eyes widened behind her glasses. She pulled her head back in alarm, but could only pull away as far as Orion's chest.

"Don't worry, Elora. I'm right here. If you go anywhere, I'll be going with you!" Orion laughed to ease her tension as he wrapped his friend in a hug.

Magus stroked along Elora's cheek again, invoking his Black Hole magic but containing it, shaping it to a much smaller area than he'd ever tried before.

"_This will be easier on her if there's nothing scary for her to see. Still, I have to make certain to use enough Shadow Magic to align her magic properly..._" he thought to himself, letting more of the spell free to momentarily fill the girl under his hand with Shadow Magic.

"That should do it," Magus decided, pulling the rest of the spell into himself. He pulled back his hand and looked down while he put on and adjusted his glove.

"How do you feel?" Orion asked.

Elora blinked a few times, then struggled to get to her feet. Four sets of hands offered to assist her. Unsurprisingly, she chose the metal ones.

"I feel...better!" Elora declared. "I don't feel so weak anymore!"

"Wanna toast a shadow monster just to make sure you can?" Orion asked. "We should make certain your spells work before we go off to find the big baddy that's out there waitin' for us..."

-----

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Orion shouted.

"You? You are the one who kidnapped my sister?" Magus demanded.

Swirling his cloak about himself dramatically, Dalton laughed. "None other! Who else but me is worthy to become the King of Shadows and Time?"

"Oh, bother. If we wait long enough, one of his ridiculous Golem monsters will blunder in and finish him off for us," Elora grumbled, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"Still, he did manage to kidnap Lady Schala and our friend Ariel," Prime pointed out.

"'Ware," Alpha warned. "His visage grows purple as his wrath doth grow! Mayhap we should take a care that even he could hath found power such that could be a danger to us."

"You have no idea, stupid frog!" Dalton screamed, clutching a pendant he wore around his neck. "The Mammon Machine is gone, but the sublime distillation of that power is mine to command!"

"He, he has my sister's pendant!" Magus roared. "How dare you put your filthy paws on that? Give it back to me, NOW!" Magus charged ahead in a berserk rage.

"Uh-oh! He's lost it! C'mon guys, we have to help him out. Dalton seems pretty darn sure of himself and he _does_ have that pendant."

-----------------

Author's notes:

Finally, a chapter that's not so completely awful I'm too ashamed to post it.

Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get!

stargarde (at) stargarde (dot) com


	12. Chapter 12

**Shadows of Schala - Chapter Twelve**

"Hard to believe he grabbed the wrong pendant," Elora said. "Then again, Dalton was never the quickest proton in the pack."

"Dalton's supreme arrogance in his own abilities has always been to our advantage," Orion agreed.

Magus felt a twinge from Cyrus' Geas as he sat next to the campfire that evening. Everyone was so relieved at having Schala and Ariel back that they had decided to spend the evening celebrating. This was the first chance they had had to go off together since their return. The twinge was mild, just enough to remind him that it was there. He found himself thinking of the Hero's Grave and his promise to its ghost.

Magus thought back. They had rescued Ariel and Schala, eight, nine, ten days before. He had lost track of time studying his magic tomes and then convincing Schala to try something -- risky. He realized that his remaining days were short.

A wry smile touched his lips as he gazed at each of his friends in turn. Prime who had reached toward him first, Elora from whom teasing hostility was a form of affection, Ariel who he had been honored to save, Orion whose good-natured, quiet leadership taught him more about power than all of Ozzie's lectures and -- Alpha.

Alpha whom he had so grievously wronged and whose friendship he could never repay. Alpha whose life of facing adversity with honor showed him the path he must take. He knew he would miss many things but he admitted these friends he would miss the most.

Magus felt his heart spasm into a dull ache when he looked at his sister. For so many years thoughts and memories of Schala had sustained him. How ironic that he had found her, rescued her, only to be lost himself.

_"I might be her younger brother,"_ he thought, _"but I must make sure she is cared for and safe!"_

He enjoyed the evening spent around the campfire with these friends and the sister he was soon going to lose forever, and treasured these moments in the deepest part of his soul.

Magus watched as the frog knight got up, stretched in a most fascinating way and ambled into the woods. Alpha's casual stride and his star-gazing told Magus he was just stretching his legs. He rose himself and followed. When they were out of earshot of the camp he closed the distance to find Alpha waiting for him.

"I heard'eth thy approach," Alpha called quietly.

"Yes, I wanted to ask a favor of you," Magus began.

"Of course, my friend. What doth thou need?" Alpha replied readily.

"If anything should ever -- happen to me -- promise to watch over Schala for me? I need to know that she will be protected and safe," Magus pleaded.

Alpha looked at him sharply, searching deep in his eyes, "Magus, thou art not planning anything..."

"No," Magus shook his head, "but I am --my past -- there are so many who hate me..." Magus thought of the hatred of Cyrus' Ghost and the pain the Geas had caused him. He knew that if he were to ignore it, it would drive him into madness and death. If he were to escape that, there were many in Guardia's kingdom who would kill him on sight. For Schala's sake, it was best if she were never associated with him.

"Rest easy about Lady Schala. I feel almost as if she is my own sister. I shall protect'eth her, if e'er there is need!" Alpha declared.

"Good," tension left Magus at Alpha's vow. "It is good to have Ariel back as well; I've never seen Orion so happy. It does seem as though she doesn't trust me..." Magus tried to divert the conversation. Alpha allowed it.

"She shall come around, e'en as the rest of us hath," Alpha reassured.

_"There won't be time,"_ Magus thought. _"Perhaps she'll remember me well, perhaps they all will..."_

"We should get back to the others. They might think you had to Slurp me otherwise!" Magus teased aloud.

Alpha's laugh rang out, "Mayhaps I shouldst, we doth not want to disappoint!"

"Don't you dare! I just got this cloak clean from the last Slurp!" Magus warned, laughing himself. The ache that he would soon lose this friend was almost more than he could take, but he stamped it down and followed the frog knight back to camp. There was one thing he had to try before he returned to the Hero's Grave, its Ghost and his doom. In the long run it didn't matter, but Magus wanted to have the opportunity to do something to undo his curse not just let it reverse because he died. He hoped Schala was ready...

--------

_"Hero! Help!"_ Alpha heard shrieked in his mind.

He raced to his room where he had left the Masamune to discover it missing. Frantically he looked through his things and then up and down the hall.

_"Where? Where art thou?"_ he asked in his mind.

_"Get, get Melchior! Hurry! Magus and Schala..."_ the faint, urgent reply faded out.

Alpha dashed through the castle to where he knew Melchior was most often found. He charged into the throne room and with scant courtesy to the king and urged Melchior to come with him.

"What is it, Alpha? I am rather busy," Melchior responded peevishly.

"It's, it's the Masamune! They call'eth on me for help! I cans't find the sword, they told me to find thee..." Alpha gasped out.

"The sword is missing? This is grave. By you leave, Majesty," Melchior asked.

"I know how important that sword is to many people, not the least of whom is you. Go!" the king replied.

"Come! We should go to my hut. I have some books on the Masamune there, perhaps we can determine just what is going on. Can you still hear them?" Melchior asked Alpha.

"No. Their last message was faint, and mention'eth Magus and Schala," Alpha replied.

"Schala has been asking questions... I thought they were purely academic... We had best hurry!" the guru said as he broke into a run.

Melchior and Alpha used the magic waterspout and arrived at the guru's hut. Without breaking stride, Melchior descended the stairs and rummaged about on a bookshelf. Sighing he turned to confront the frog knight.

"Two of my books are missing. One of them deals directly with the Masamune; how I crafted it, how Masa and Mune were enclosed within the Dreamstone, how to repair the sword if ever it is damaged. The other is an advanced book of Life magic, the ebb and flow and shape of Life. Schala's questions this past week have been of the sword and how much magic it could contain. I fear she is endeavoring to augment it somehow. Something must be wrong for Masa and Mune to call out to you..."

Melchior furrowed his brow in intense thought for a moment. Arriving at some conclusion, he opened a drawer beneath the bookshelf. He found a shard of Dreamstone and handed it to Alpha.

"Here. This piece was not needed when Prime and I reforged the blade for you. With this shard you should be able to magnify your ability to hear your sword and track them. I will gather a few things here and follow you. Go! I fear we must find them quickly and prevent some catastrophe!"

Alpha nodded tightly, grasped the Dreamstone and strode toward the stairs. On one wall he noticed a finely crafted Runeblade. He glanced back at Melchior who waved. Smiling grimly he lifted the sword from the wall and ascended the stairs. Melchior grabbed a pack and began to load it with items from his workbench.

Alpha found that he could not hear Masa and Mune but he did have a definite sense of where they were and that they were in some danger that frightened them severely. He could feel when he veered off from a direct line to them. He had no idea if this peculiar communication was two way or not but he sent mental reassurances that he was on his way.

The Dreamstone led him toward Fiona's Forest. He followed deeper into the woods, occasionally blazing a tree for Melchior to follow. He avoided as many monsters as he could, those who forced him into a fight found him absently brutal as he focused on maintaining his link with the Masamune. The pull of the Dreamstone became stronger and the forced fights lessened, then ceased. Alpha found the silence in the woods eerie. Despite his pervading unease he pushed further onward and picked up his already rapid pace.

He rounded a stand of trees and found a horrifying scene before him. Schala stood to one side, barely controlling a roiling rainbow mass of wild energy that formed a portal. The Masamune stood, hilt up, a third of the blade buried in the ground at the base of the gate. Magus was balanced across the edge, half in this dimension and half in some other. Alpha could see Masa and Mune on the other side, terror twisting their features. Magus himself seemed to be in agony as an eldritch storm sought to push him through the gate.

"Alpha! Thank all...! We tried -- I can't explain -- this is taking all my skill -- and attention, but keep Janus from being drawn -- into the Masamune!" Schala pleaded disjointedly.

Alpha leaped to Magus' side and reached for the mage's waist.

"NOOOO!" Alpha heard in stereo. He clasped his hands to the sides of his head from the pain the loud, frantic call caused.

As he looked up he realized that Masa and Mune uttered part of that painful call and Melchior the other part, as he crashed through some bushes into the clearing.

"Don't touch him or you too shall be dragged in!" Melchior warned as he struggled free of some branches.

_"Hero! No! We would not want to lose you also..."_ the brothers lamented.

"He's in agony! What canst I do?" Alpha cried out looking at Magus.

"Melchior!" Schala gasped.

"Of course, my dear. Just let me see what you did... Okay, I've got it," Melchior responded as he examined Schala's portal.

Melchior stilled as he locked his gaze upon the rainbow field and the Gate stabilized. The energy flowed in slow waves instead of lashing out in spiky strands and the strained looks on Schala's, Masa's and Mune's faces eased. Even Magus, though still in pain, eased a little.

"Thank you, Guru," Schala gasped as she turned toward Melchior.

"Tell me what happened," Melchior directed never taking his eyes from the energy portal. Alpha could see signs of strain around the old man's eyes.

"Janus wanted to reverse the curse he had placed on Alpha so long ago. He researched all his magical tomes, but there is no spell to reverse such a curse and no way to change Alpha back into a man. You know my skill with talismans, the way I can enclose an intent into an item. We thought that the Masamune would be sufficiently powerful enough to enclose Janus' cursing power and reverse the spell on Alpha. Masa and Mune agreed to let us try. I read in your books a way to connect the Masamune's dimension with ours and thought that I could..." Schala's explanation broke off. "When the portal opened I lost all control. I never realized how powerful the Masamune is! My spell is there, but instead of just Janus' cursing power, it's trying to enclose all of Janus in the sword. I don't understand! I targeted just his ability -- he shouldn't be threatened... Please, do something!"

_"Alpha, as powerful as Magus is, as powerful as he would make us, we do not want him here. We can keep him from being pulled in any further, but that is all. You and Melchior have to bring him fully back into your dimension before the portal closes or he'll be torn in two,"_ Masa warned.

"Alpha, Glenn, I have to -- make right again..." Magus gasped out, "...no matter the cost..."

"This price is too great," Alpha declared in anguish.

He thought that Magus was a tiny bit closer than before. Startled he looked up and only a few feet from him, yet immeasurably far away, locked gazes with Masa. Masa nodded slightly.

_"Yes, Hero, he is closer to you. What did you do?"_ Masa confirmed mentally.

"I don't know," Alpha admitted softly.

"Janus,I need you here. You cannot leave me!" Schala pleaded, as she cast a puzzled look at the frog knight.

"You'll be all right. Glenn -- will take care of you. You -- don't need me..." Magus gasped, "...and I can free him again -- from my curse..."

Alpha noted that Magus seemed to be receding from him again and saw the truth of it in Masa's eyes. He suddenly realized that Magus' desire to uncurse him was what had overwhelmed Schala's spell and that Magus' own will was what was putting him in such peril.

"Magus, she doth need thee. Not the Magus who killed Cyrus, nor the Magus that cursed me so long ago, nor the Magus who warred on Guardia, but the Magus who saved her from Dalton's dark dimension. She need'eth the Magus who paint'eth her portrait. She need'eth the Magus that thou art just now beginning to become. All of us need that Magus, my -- friend," Alpha spoke intently.

He noticed that Magus hung on every word and the invisible force pulling him toward the Masamune lessened.

"...but -- the debt I owe you is so great... This is the least..." Magus began.

"I'm not going to let thee off so easily!" Alpha interrupted. "Thou hast much to learn of being a friend and being a brother!"

"...but --what of the curse I placed on you? And what of Cyrus?"

"Cyrus' death will forever be before mine eyes, but his spirit doth rest now and I can let go my hatred of the Magus who slew him. Thy willingness to sacrifice thy life to undo this curse remind'eth me of Cyrus and show'eth me how far thee hath grown from the Magus who killed him. Thou canst not leave us just when thou art discovering goodness in thine heart!"

"Janus, let go your guilt; return to us! Alpha does not hold this against you. How can you hold it against yourself?" Schala pleaded.

"...I must make right... I can feel that I will lose the cursing power when this Gate closes... If I hold it and go -- to the Masamune -- what we tried to do might still work..." Magus admitted.

"Oh, my friend, nay, not at the cost of thine own life!" Alpha cried out as he fell to his knees next to Magus. "Tis too much like Cyrus! Thou canst not leave me thus..."

"...but I -- took Cyrus from you, turned you into a frog..." Magus contradicted.

"Thou fool! I'd rather be a frog and haveth thee here, as my friend, than be a man again and haveth thee gone..." Alpha vowed.

"You value – me -- that much?" Magus asked, amazed.

"And more," Alpha confirmed.

"You'd stay a frog..." Magus started. "You compared me to Cyrus? Forever as you are now so that I can live? Knowing that I lose the chance to try this again; to uncurse you in any other way? My life means... I matter that much to you?" Magus spent a long moment pondering that truth. He knew that he respected Alpha, thought of him in his own heart as a friend, he didn't realize that Alpha felt such a strong friendship for him too.

Magus found himself facing a painful decision. If he stopped fighting the pull of the Masamune's dimension, he would be drawn through and perish. His death would free Glenn from his curse, but rejecting the friendship that Glenn was so desperately offering would hurt the frog knight. If he trusted in that friendship he could win free of the gate only to forfeit his life to Cyrus -- which would also free Glenn. Death in the void between dimensions was probably less painful than what Cyrus had planned for him, but Magus decided that he wouldn't risk hurting Glenn any more.

Alpha watched as Magus worked through his disbelief. Each truth that Magus accepted brought him closer to Alpha and further from the treacherous gate that gaped open before him. Alpha looked again toward Masa and Mune and saw the relief that flooded their faces. That moment he reached forward and dragged Magus physically from the gate.

As soon as Melchior realized Magus was free he stopped fighting the gate and allowed the portal to close. Magus looked up into Alpha's face and then at the rapidly closing portal.

"No! Schala, once more, use all the respect and honor, all the friendship I feel for Glenn, bind it to my cursing power, enclose it in the sword! Try once more for me, I beg you!" Magus cried to his sister as he reached with his will toward the Gate.

Alpha reached forward and grasped Magus to keep him from moving toward the portal. He felt Magus manipulating magic in a way he'd never witnessed before and felt when Schala brought her power to bear on it.

Melchior, aware of this last attempt to augment the sword, slowed the closing of the portal but could not halt it. Alpha watched as Magus and Schala spun a green field of magical energy between them. Schala shaped the field and sent the energy through the portal toward Masa and Mune. Alpha watched as the green energy wave entered the tiny gate before it closed for good. A strained, stunned look on Masa's face was the last impression of the Masamune's dimension that he had.

Melchior collapsed to his knees. Schala sat heavily upon a tree stump and Magus turned his head to look pointedly toward Alpha. Alpha realized he still had a deathgrip on Magus and freed him.

"That was a valiant try, Janus, Schala, but I think the Gate closed too swiftly for your spell to reach the Masamune," Melchior noted heavily. "What went wrong?"

"I did," Magus admitted. "I knew I felt guilty for cursing Glenn, I never realized how guilty. When the portal opened... I couldn't let go of the cursing power. It has been part of me for so long... I wanted to do the right thing, let it go, free Glenn; I couldn't. My guilt overwhelmed me and I was starting to enter the sword. Never have I been so perfectly balanced between a good impulse and one not so good."

"I'm glad to see the good impulse won out," Schala smiled. "That's the Janus I know!"

"That's the friend I want to have," Alpha added.

"My selfishness..." Magus began.

"Thou intend'eth the right thing. I had to argue thee out of sacrificing thy life! There is no selfishness in what thou try'eth to do here. I know thou hath only the best of intentions," Alpha countered.

"Well, be that as it may, you'd better check the Masamune and make sure it took no lasting harm," Melchior told Alpha. He turned toward Magus and Schala. "I really wish you'd trusted me enough to confide in me. This did not have to be the near-disaster that it became," Melchior complained.

Alpha went over and tugged the sword from the ground. He held it up and looked carefully at the blade's edge while he mentally called to the brothers.

_"Art thou unhurt?"_

_"Shaken and a little frightened. As powerful as we could have become as the Masagusmune, we are glad you saved Magus from merging with us,"_ Masa reported.

Alpha laughed and passed that message on.

"Masagusmune! That even sounds nasty!" Melchior noted.

"Thank you, Alpha, for rescuing him," Schala said as she hugged her brother.

"Yes, thank you. This is the first real hug I've earned from my big sister since -- well, since Lavos dropped me through a Timegate," Magus said softly as he hugged his sister back. "I've changed so much..."

_"Not as much as Alpha did when you cursed him, or as much as we did when you pulled your little stunt, or as much as Alpha will now,"_ Mune crowed in Alpha's mind.

Alpha was still trying to figure out what Mune meant so he could pass it on to Melchior when a green beam shot from the Masamune and engulfed him. He felt a weird wrenching sensation, one that was half-familiar, and the world spun about him. When the spinning stopped he found himself on the ground, head and shoulders supported by Magus and Schala and the most stunned expression on the Guru's face.

"It, it worked? The portal stayed open long enough! I didn't want to tell you that Schala and Janus had it right, they took his cursing power and shaped it so that it could be enclosed in the sword... I didn't want you to regret... I thought we failed..." words failed the Guru. "You are..."

"...human again. Yes, I can feel it," Glenn said as he stood up. He shook his head and spread his legs as if unsure of his balance. He held his hands up before his face and looked at them in wonder, then pushed impatiently at the hair falling in his face. He smiled brilliantly in surprised delight.

Magus stood also and looked across into Glenn's face as awe filled his voice, "You've grown from when I first cursed you. You were a youth, short, scrawny, gangly. Now..."

"Now, well... Wow!" Schala said as she stood and dusted herself off.

"Thanks, in no small part, to thee, milady," Glenn said as he kissed the back of her hand, "and in large part to thee as well," he bowed gracefully to Melchior who nodded his head.

"Magus..." Glenn clasped Magus and patted his back. "I know how hard it was for thee to separate thy skill from thyself and give it up for me..."

"Aside from saving my sister, it is the best and noblest thing I've ever done!" Magus noted as Glenn released him.

"Not to obsess about it but I know these things and the gate closed too fast for Schala's spell to reach the Masamune's dimension. I am overjoyed at your return to normal, I just wish I could explain it!" Melchior said.

_"It was Mune. While I kept Magus from getting dragged all the way in here, he was thinking of a way to save the spell if what we were trying worked. Mune came partially through the gate from our side and old man Melchior did slow the closing of the gate enough for Mune to catch the spell as I dragged him back here," _Masa explained.

"Mune, came into our world though the Gate a little and caught the spell that Schala sent," Glenn explained.

"But the spell was designed to enclose the power in the sword; for a transformation spell to be cast from the sword's dimension once and dissipate the power. I didn't intend to permanently alter the sword. I did not want to risk Masa's and Mune's lives that way! How is it that Mune could alter such a specific spell?" Schala puzzled.

_"Nothing is impossible for the wind! Whoosh!"_ Mune responded.

Glenn laughed and passed Mune's comment on to everyone else. He stretched his arms out and commented, "There are some things I shall miss about being a frog, but it is so good to be human again!"

_"Wellll..."_ Mune began.

"What?" Glenn asked sharply.

"I said nothing," Schala replied.

"No, he's talking to the sword. You get used to it," Magus pointed out.

_"Mune went out and intercepted the spell Schala sent to the sword. He didn't like parts of it so he – lost? -- them on the way back. Cast them into the void between dimensions. It was the part about enclosing the power in the sword and the part about dissipating the power after the spell was triggered. When Mune returned here we kept the spell, well the parts we liked. Of course, that means the power in enclosed within us, not the sword, but we didn't think anyone would mind so much. It also means we control the spell so it's not a permanent change back to human,"_ Masa clarified.

_"So thou canst..."_ Glenn thought.

_"...change you whenever we want,"_ Masa confirmed.

"My life just got stranger," Glenn noted out loud.

"What do you mean?" Melchior asked.

"The brothers alter'eth Schala's spell and now have the ability to change my shape at their whim," Glenn explained. Just then the sword spilled green light over him and changed him into a frog.

"See'eth what I mean? Couldst thou please let me enjoy being human for a time before rendering me as a frog again?" Alpha complained to his sword.

_"You have only to ask! At least, most of the time. Okay, Hero, be a man again!" _Masa responded as they transformed him back.

"Orion is not going to be happy," Glenn noted with a twisted smile and humor sparking in his green eyes.

"I'd think he'd be most happy for you!" Magus exclaimed.

"Well, he doth not like how Ariel regard'eth me in this guise and he's going to have to spar with me to aid me in relearning how to fight as a man again. Last time, relearning how to fight as Alpha, he accept'eth a Leap Slash from me," Glenn admitted.

"Indeed? So the punk kid has his uses after all; at least as a target. I'm teasing!" Magus declared at the reproachful looks tossed his way. "Does that -- hurt at all? Being changed from one form to another?" Magus asked.

"Nay. It be strange, but not painful. I detect the delicate hand of thy lady sister in that, since the first transformation caused by thy curse and the breaking and the reinstating of that curse were most painful," Glenn said as he locked his gaze on Schala.

"I simply thought that you had suffered enough. Now, since your sword can change you at whim, I'm glad I thought to adjust the spell. Unless I am completely mistaken, Masa and Mune are as high-spirited and uncontrollable as they were in Zeal and you are never going to know what form you're going to wake up in!" Schala warned with a glance at the sword.

_"Oh, she's just being all adult! Once she used to like playing with us!"_ Mune complained.

_"We'll change you when we want, sometimes when you want, but not so much that it becomes tedious or unbearable. We really are glad that this curse has been lifted from you," _Masa promised quietly.

_"Yeah, under it all, well, we -- kinda like you. We don't want you to get tired of us or upset at us. You are the Hero after all! Hey, how 'bout Magus being the one to break the curse, Masa? Was that cool, or what?"_

_"He's not as nasty as he used to be. Must be the Hero wearing off on him. At this rate, he'll be a good guy before he knows it!"_ Masa agreed.

Glenn laughed and relayed most of the conversation on to Schala, Magus and Melchior.

"I never! A good guy? Me? I shall have to do something to retain my reputation. I wouldn't know how to behave if people didn't cower in fear and tremble at my name! Me? Good?" Magus huffed.

"If you curse anyone else ever again, Janus, I swear I'll smack you!" Schala promised. "You can't get away with evil behavior when I'm around."

"Can I at least continue to scowl menacingly? I'm so good at it!" Magus teased as he demonstrated.

"Boy, you sure are! Yeah, scowling is okay. You can look like you're about to do something truly despicable, just don't do it! C'mere, little brother," Schala opened her arms and hugged Magus tight. "I'm glad we did this. You are going to learn that you really are a good person under all your posturing. I wouldn't change the way you are for anything!"

"Nor would I," Melchior added, "But, I've got work to do at the castle. Shall we return?"

"Glenn, I just had the most wicked idea..." Magus began as he threw his arm around Glenn's shoulders.

--------------------

Author's notes:

I give up trying to come up with a good fight for Dalton. He drove me crazy in the game and I guess he had to drive me crazy in the story, too.

Next chapter teaser: Chapter Thirteen -- Dark power swirls ever nearer in Magus' soul. The time for his final reckoning with Cyrus' ghost is as hand!

Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get.

stargarde (at) yahoo (dot) com


	13. Chapter 13

**Shadows of Schala - Chapter Thirteen**

"Orion I have some really terrible news... You should sit down," Magus directed seriously about an hour later.

"What? What is it? Is someone hurt?" Orion asked frantically.

"Come, my friend, sit down. You're in for a rather nasty shock," Magus said solicitously as he seated Orion down with his back to the door. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Glenn taking up his position silently behind Orion's chair. Magus concealed his grin at how well his prank was playing out.

"I was out in Fiona's Forest today and well, I had the Masamune. Don't panic, _it_ is okay but during a rather hairy moment Alpha showed up and well, I haven't seen him since," Magus feigned deep sorrow.

Glenn lowered his chin, shot a "yeah, right!" look at Magus and swallowed his laugh.

"WHAT? Oh, no, _now_ what have you done? Haven't you hurt him enough? Hasn't he tolerated enough from you? Where, what happened? How did he disappear?" Orion shouted as he came out of the chair and grabbed Magus by the neck.

"Oh are we back to this again? How tedious! You are so lucky that Alpha's disappearance is related to how I lost my ability to curse people or I'd turn you into something that would make you long to be a frog!" Magus warned in mock anger.

"What _are_ you talking about? Speak plainly or I will...! Is Alpha okay? Where is he?" Orion ordered as he tightened his grip.

Glenn could see that his volatile friend was beginning to hurt Magus and that the prank was getting a little out of hand, so he walked around Orion, put his hands over Orion's and pulled them from Magus' throat.

"I am right here and I am more than okay. Magus found'eth a way with Schala's, Melchior's and the Masamune's help to break the curse he hath placed upon me," Glenn explained.

"GLENN!" Orion grabbed him in a delighted hug and pounded on his back. "Your curse is broken? How...? I don't care! I am so happy for you!" Orion let his friend go and looked up at him in stunned surprise. He then looked over to the mage he had the moment before wanted to slay.

"Magus, I'm sorry. I assumed -- forgive me. And, thank you for doing this," Orion said softly. He regarded Magus a moment more and in the overflow of emotion he felt, hugged the mage awkwardly.

"You do realize that you shall have to help Glenn retrain his fighting skills, don't you?" Magus noted dryly in his discomfiture.

Orion stepped back from Magus and looked at Glenn, mouth agape.

"Oh, no! Am I going to get beaten up again?" he lamented.

"Probably. Unless thou hath truly developed into a passable swordsman," Glenn teased. "Come. Let us tell Ariel and Elora."

"You haven't heard the worst of it, Orion," Magus began conversationally, as he and Orion trailed after Glenn. "The Masamune can change Glenn's form whenever they want. He can be a frog or a man. If enough time passes between changes..."

"...I'm going to get beaten up fairly regularly. You're all heart, Magus!" Orion realized. "Thanks anyway," he added softly as he glanced at Glenn's retreating back. "You've done more good today than you know; you've become someone I'm glad to have as a friend."

"Time will tell," Magus replied as he hurried to catch up to Glenn. "Time I no longer have," he thought to himself. "It's time to return to Cyrus. I'm just glad I was able to see Glenn before obeying me Geas and..." Magus refused to finish his dire thought.

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Glenn wasn't sure what woke him, it could have been something as simple as the feel of the sheets against his human skin as he turned in his sleep, but he found his thoughts returning to the Denadoro Mountains and Cyrus' death.

"I'd remain cursed if it could bring'eth thee back," he said aloud to his long-dead friend, "but I doth not desire vengeance on Magus any longer. In his own way, he hath suffered, too, and wilt continue to do so. He is despised in this time. If he remain'eth, his sister and I may well be his only friends. Orion, Ariel, Elora and Prime must return'eth to their times..." Glenn didn't know why he felt Cyrus' presence so strongly, strongly enough to talk to, but he found his eyes closing and an irresistible sleep ebbing over him.

"No! Cyrus, stay'eth..." Sleep claimed him again and Glenn never noticed the brilliant gold light spilling from him into his room.

He had forgotten the strange midnight feelings by morning, but noticed that Magus seemed to be acting oddly. It wasn't anything overt, but Magus was gentler, kinder and friendlier than he had ever seen him before. It took him most of the morning to figure it out. Glenn realized it was as if Magus were trying to make his peace, almost as if he were sick or -- dying. He knew that it would be a few days more before the others left to return to their times, so it wasn't that, and he knew that Magus wasn't ill in any way. He wondered what Magus had planned that had him acting so oddly. Glenn remembered the empty reassurances that Magus had given him before his stunt undoing his curse and decided to watch from a distance and not ask Magus anything -- for the moment.

Glenn noticed when Magus smuggled his scythe and a pack outside and hid them behind a tree. From that point on, Glenn watched Magus intently and kept himself ready to travel on a moment's notice. He watched as Magus later wandered artfully aimlessly near the tree, snagged his scythe and pack and walked into the woods. Glenn followed.

To his surprise, Magus' track led to the Hero's Grave. He was astonished that Magus even knew of its existence.

_"Orion or Prime must have told him of it," _Glenn thought to himself. _"How else couldst he know?" _Glenn followed Magus into the monument and then down to where Cyrus' Grave actually lay. He hid himself unknowingly behind the very same column that Magus had used when spying on him and watched his enigmatic friend.

Glenn felt a chill creep through the chamber and watched as the candles guttered out. To his surprise, the mage bowed his head respectfully. Glenn noticed that Magus glowed with a sickly red light. Cyrus' Ghost appeared in front of the headstone.

"Thou hath returned. Now I can finally be avenged upon thee!" the ghost's eerie voice echoed in the chamber hollowly with the promise of death.

Glenn had never seen Cyrus like this. This was the awful power and majesty of the undead. This was the terrible aspect of the Ghost that had been hidden when Glenn had seen him before. Alarm chilled his heart more effectively than the supernatural cold of the chamber. The last thing he wanted to see was his best friend of this, or any, time destroy Magus. He tried to jump out and prevent what he feared would happen, but found he was frozen to the spot and unable to utter a sound.

"Thou hath done grievous evil to me. Thou threaten'eth the king and queen I hadst sworn to protect, thou warred upon my country, thou slew me. Most evil of all, thou twist'eth my friend's destiny by cursing Glenn into a horrible fate!" Cyrus recounted.

_"But I'm not -- completely cursed anymore... Oh, Cyrus, don't! Don't do this!" _Glenn despaired in his mind.

"What doth thou offer in thy defense?" Cyrus commanded Magus.

Magus looked down in quiet contemplation. Despite the ominous swirlings of the Geas in his soul, he finally felt at peace. He reflected on Cyrus' charges. He admitted that he had done each of them and that when he did them, there were no noble causes. He had done them all from a lust for power and in the spirit of evil.

"There -- there is no defense for what I have done to you," Magus replied, looking up into the gaping helm of the Ghost. The yawning emptiness shook him a little, and pure fear ran cold in his veins, but he continued to look into that void.

Glenn saw the shiver of fear that shook Magus and his heart went out to his friend. It rocked him that he wanted to protect Magus from Cyrus -- that his best friend in all the world threatened and frightened anyone.

_"I canst believe that thou hath changed so much!"_ Glenn thought with all his will toward the Ghost of his friend. _"Thou were ever gentle and kind of heart. This cannot, must not happen! I wilst not believe that thou desireth vengeance this much!"_

"My Geas is in thee, the one thou accept'eth along with my aid on the night when thou followed Alpha here and witness'eth his grief," Cyrus continued.

Glenn would have started if he could have moved. Magus had followed him? He listened intently and stared in fascination at his two friends.

"Thou must answer me in truth, my Geas will tell me if thine answer is false. Why didst thou follow Alpha that night?" Cyrus demanded.

Magus regarded the ground at his feet as he answered the Ghost's command. "He had been quiet -- subdued the whole time Orion was working with me, teaching me how to combine magic. I noticed his agitation when Prime and Elora joined us and listened when he thought he was alone. I realized, for the first time, what I had done to him. I felt shame and -- regret. When he left that night, I was concerned that he might -- hurt himself... He seemed so dejected... I did not want his death on my hands as well as his curse. You know he came here and despaired. I have never seen sorrow as deep as that. I also saw how deep your friendship with him had been. It is still potent even though you are -- dead. He then went to Leene's castle and I saw how much he cared for her. Finally, he went to-- that place -- the place where I -- killed you and cursed him. I witnessed again a sorrow I had caused and could not take back. I... I..." Magus choked up and looked up into the Ghost's face again.

To his surprise, he could make out Cyrus' features faintly. The absolute horror the undead can inspire eased slightly.

"Art thou aware that my Geas allowed me to know'eth thy thoughts and feel'eth thy feelings?" Cyrus asked him.

That shocked Magus. He knew that the Ghost had watched him, at least somewhat in the beginning, but he didn't realize that Cyrus had been close enough to know his thoughts and feelings. His head dropped in shame again.

"No! Look at me!" Cyrus commanded.

Magus could not disobey the Ghost who still had a Geas in his soul. Cyrus' face was as sturdily handsome and commanding as it had been in life. Magus locked his gaze on those noble features.

"Since the moment thou accept'eth my Geas and my aid in finding Schala, I hath known thy thoughts and feelings. When thou remember'eth thy history, it wast opened to me as well. I know'eth what thy childhood was. I agree with Alpha when he wish'eth that I, not Ozzie, had found thee as the child Janus, lost through time. I know'eth how much of who thou are wast molded by him. I know'eth, and now thou doth as well, that thy skills, taught by one who wast evil, are not themselves evil," Cyrus' features became more clear as he spoke.

"Thou, at my -- insistence, useth thy skills to aid Queen Leene when the paradox Alpha presented wouldst have harmed her. Thou shadow'eth Alpha when he wast not right in his heart, out of a friendship thou didst not admit to thyself. E'en though Alpha's Slurp disgust'eth thee, thou endureth it with better grace. Thou felt my ungentle proddings and changed thy behavior. Thou placed thy very life at risk to undo thy curse. E'en now, the fact that you cursed Glenn at all revolts thee," Cyrus declared.

Glenn felt his panic subside. He knew that Cyrus wasn't going to harm Magus. He could tell that Cyrus was trying to give Magus a better view of himself, even as Cyrus done for him. He felt a rush of pure love for his friend who was so generous, even past his own death.

"I let thee see the Aura I placeth on Alpha," Cyrus continued. "Thou needed to know how high my regard for him is and he needed the bolstering of spirit that I could give. As my Geas did for thee to teach'eth thee something of the evil in thy actions, my Aura did for him; to teach'eth him his value and goodness, when he didst not want to believe in himself. It was not easy to split myself thus, but it was necessary."

Glenn suddenly noticed a soft golden glow that seemed to surround everything he saw. He wondered if this was Cyrus' Aura.

"When thou showed thyself here after Alpha had collapsed in despair, I wanted nothing more than to slay thee. I couldst see that thou had a fate to saveth thy sister and through her, Guardia, so I couldst not interfere. Thou accepted my Geas and I intend'eth when I placed it upon thee to destroy thee when it was safe for Guardia to do so," it was the Ghost's turn to look pensively at the ground. "Within minutes I knew thou wast not the wholly evil person I had thought. I hath changed my mind."

Cyrus looked up and smiled toward the mage and the knight. His features were fully fleshed out and his imposing, archaic manner dropped. He seemed to be again the dashing First Knight of Guardia that he had been in life, the one who had been Glenn's best friend, the one Magus was even now wishing with all his might he could have been friends with.

Cyrus extended one hand toward Magus. "Know that my Geas, and your responsiveness to it, have freed you from Ozzie's influence. I cannot take the memories of your childhood from you, or their pain, but I can free you from the evil they caused to rise in you. Any evil you do now is your own, but I expect it will be minimal. You have forged bonds of true friendship with each one who quested with you to save Schala and a true friendship with the queen. There will be a time when you can free the queen from your spell of forgetfulness, you will know it when it comes. I have summoned Glenn here so he would know what has happened between you and I, and that our peace has been made. I relinquish any claim to your life, Magus. I free you from my Geas."

The red haze that had taken hold in Magus' soul let go and rushed back toward Cyrus. Before it reached the Ghost, Cyrus held out a blocking hand and it dissipated.

"I have no need for such hatred any longer," Cyrus muttered.

"Glenn, my dearest friend, you have no need for my Aura any more. As I promised, all that you ever need, you already have within you," Cyrus directed toward Glenn. Magus whirled and saw the knight standing bespelled next to the pillar. The golden Aura flowed softly from Glenn, whirled around and through Magus, startling him with the positive feelings it inspired, and was absorbed back into the Ghost.

"These feelings I will ever treasure," Cyrus noted.

Glenn found that he could move and speak again.

"Cyrus, thank thee for..." he croaked out.

"Glenn, there is no reason to speak. You needed the affirmation I could give you, so I wrapped you in my Aura and bolstered all that you are until you had the strength to find it in yourself. And I am glad you know me enough to know that I wouldn't hurt Magus. If you could forgive him how could I not?" Cyrus told him.

"Magus, you will never have a better friend than Glenn. Perhaps equal, but never better. I have freed you from Ozzie and freed you from any onus to me. You are your own person now. You must make your own destiny."

Cyrus began to glow and to float toward the ceiling.

"I am truly at rest now. You will not see me here again. Some part of me has been with each of you and so you never know... Maybe some time, if the need is great, Cyrus will rise again! Farewell, my friends!"

Magus looked down from watching Cyrus disappear and noticed the faintest gold Aura still clinging to Glenn. "That is our secret, Janus, my friend!" Cyrus' voice whispered in his mind. He smiled and wondered at the smile on Glenn's face.

Glenn had noticed a new, faintly glowing Aura of gold around Magus. "Don't tell him, my friend, he should never know that I marked him thus!" Cyrus' Ghost told Glenn in his thoughts.

"He has been the best friend in the whole world," Glenn noted quietly.

"I... I can see that," Magus responded seriously, laughing ruefully at the joke and feeling a fading mirth from the Ghost. "I am so sorry..."

"Nay, I miss him, I always shall, but he show'eth me that it wast not entirely thy fault... Thou try'eth to undo what thou couldst. If Cyrus can forgiveth thee how can I not?" Glenn interrupted.

"Funny, Cyrus told you if you could forgive how could he not?" Magus noted wry.

"That he did!" Glenn laughed, "Well, whichever of us forgave first, the other affirmed it. Consider thyself forgiven!"

"Okay, my sometime frog friend! Shall we return to our other friends?"

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Author's notes:

After helping Glenn and Magus come to terms with each other, does Cyrus finally pass into his well-deserved afterlife? Who knows?

Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get.

stargarde (at) yahoo (dot) com


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